Gulf Coast Task Force Releases Ecosystem Restoration For Public Review

NEW ORLEANS – The final approval for post-hurricane season shoreline inspections for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida were signed, Wednesday, by the federal on-scene coordinator for the Gulf Coast Incident Management Team.

Capt. Duke Walker approved the last of the inspections that are intended to identify areas that may have been impacted by oil as a result of storms passing through the Gulf of Mexico during the 2011 hurricane season.

"These post-hurricane season inspections are another layer of inspections for segments of shoreline that have either never been oiled or have already been declared clean and placed in a status where no further treatment was required," said Walker.

If any of the resurveyed shorelines fail to meet the established criteria for clean status, as set forth in the Shoreline Clean-up Completion Plan, they will be placed in a response status until clean-up criteria is met.

"The inspections will subject these shoreline areas, which were selected by their respective state on-scene coordinators and Federal Trustees, to additional rigorous inspection to ensure that they meet the clean-up criteria established by the SCCP." said Walker. "If oil is detected, and matches oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill, BP's crews will clean it."

The Coast Guard, Gulf States, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of the Interior and BP developed the SCCP collaboratively. The plan builds on previous response plans to ensure that any and all shorelines impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are clean.

NEW ORLEANS – The Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon
BP oil spill, Capt. Julia Hein, announced Wednesday that the Shoreline
Cleanup Completion Plan has been finalized following a meeting held
Oct. 28, 2011, with state on-scene coordinators from Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi and Louisiana.

The Federal On-Scene Coordinator directed development of the Shoreline
Cleanup Completion Plan, which involved participation from and
coordination with the affected Gulf Coast states, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Department of Interior and the responsible
party, BP. The plan will help ensure that defined standards will be
used to determine when cleanup actions in each affected area are
complete.

"Our commitment to completing the final elements of the cleanup
operations is addressed in this plan," said Hein.  "In all, more than 90
percent of shoreline impacted by the spill is now ready to transition
from removal to restoration and has met the agreed upon standards."

Cleanup will continue until all areas identified in the plan are designated as clean by the standards agreed to by the FOSC and SOSCs.

"We still have ongoing cleanup in sensitive wildlife nesting habitat and
archeological sites," said Hein. "However, there are significant
portions of our coastline that are ready to move into the next phase, so
that the Gulf Coast can start restoration projects critical to help heal
the region."

Additional information on the Shoreline Cleanup Completion Plan can be
found at www.restorethegulf.gov.