Since the Deepwater Horizon disaster, DU and its partners have formally requested that Congress support legislation to ensure penalties paid by the responsible parties under the Clean Water Act (CWA) be used to restore the Gulf Coast region. This funding is essential to the recovery of the Gulf's coastline and overall way of life. Without such investments, recovery efforts will be seriously threatened. Using CWA fines levied against the responsible parties to restore the Gulf's ecosystem and economy is a rational and necessary solution.
Senators from the Gulf Coast states put forth the "Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunity, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act of 2011" to direct 80 percent of the penalties paid under the Clean Water Act toward the long-term health of the Gulf region's coastal ecosystems and economies. Known as the RESTORE Act, this legislation is vital to ensure the fines levied against the responsible parties are invested in the areas most damaged by the spill.