ENROLLED
       2011 Legislature                                          SM 218
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                                              2011218er
    1  
    2         A memorial to the Congress of the United States,
    3         urging Congress to dedicate penalties collected from
    4         parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil
    5         disaster to repairing the environmental and economic
    6         damage caused by the disaster.
    7  
    8         WHEREAS, on the night of April 20, 2010, there was an
    9  explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which caused at least
   10  170 million gallons of oil to spill into the Gulf of Mexico over
   11  the course of several months and wash up onto the coastlines of
   12  the five Gulf states, and
   13         WHEREAS, this man-made disaster spoiled portions of
   14  Florida’s coastline and waterways and devastated its fishing and
   15  tourism industries, and
   16         WHEREAS, this man-made disaster has directly resulted in
   17  the loss of jobs and business for Floridians, and
   18         WHEREAS, a preliminary study by the University of Central
   19  Florida predicted job losses of 195,000 and spending losses of
   20  $10.9 billion if Florida’s 23 counties along the Gulf Coast lose
   21  50 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending, and
   22         WHEREAS, that preliminary study also predicted job losses
   23  of 39,000 and spending losses of $2 billion if those same
   24  counties lose 10 percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and
   25  spending, and
   26         WHEREAS, despite clean-up efforts, oil remains buried in
   27  the sand on the Gulf states’ coastlines and in the waters
   28  offshore, and
   29         WHEREAS, the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf waters is
   30  still unknown and some researchers have discovered oil below the
   31  sea’s surface, including on the ocean floor, and
   32         WHEREAS, although seafood caught off of Florida’s coast is
   33  safe to eat and approximately 90 percent of the fishing closures
   34  in federal waters have been lifted, the long-term effect on the
   35  Gulf’s sea life is still unknown, and
   36         WHEREAS, under current law, any civil penalties recovered
   37  pursuant to the Clean Water Act must be deposited into the Oil
   38  Spill Liability Trust Fund to be used for clean-up and response
   39  efforts for future oil spills, and
   40         WHEREAS, United States Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus,
   41  recommended that Congress dedicate a significant portion of any
   42  civil penalties recovered under the Clean Water Act to providing
   43  assistance for the region where the damage from the disaster
   44  occurred, NOW, THEREFORE,
   45  
   46  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   47  
   48         That the Legislature requests the United States Congress to
   49  enact legislation that permits any civil penalties recovered
   50  under the Clean Water Act due to the Deepwater Horizon oil
   51  disaster to be distributed in the following manner:
   52         (1) Deposited into a newly created Gulf Coast Recovery
   53  Fund, which is managed by a Gulf Coast Recovery Council and used
   54  to provide assistance for long-term environmental and economic
   55  recovery in the Gulf;
   56         (2) Directed to the five Gulf states to enable each state
   57  to pursue its own recovery efforts; and
   58         (3) Deposited into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for
   59  future recovery efforts.
   60         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
   61  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
   62  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
   63  United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
   64  the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.