HM 363

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	Congress to dedicate penalties collected from parties
4	responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster to
5	repairing the environmental and economic damage caused by
6	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.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.