Which was cosponsored by Senator David Vitter. This proposal would provide $250 billion for hurricane reconstruction, including $40 billion in ecosystem restoration and levee improvements. Some say that his proposal might actually hurt Louisiana’s opportunity for restoration money by appearing to be asking for too much to fund a bag of projects. The sad part about this is that it has taken a major hurricane to show the nation it is mandatory to rebuild the wetlands and barrier islands of Louisiana. However, stakeholders have agreed on a plan to restore these resources, major funding has not been …show more content…
The RESTORE Act also shows a structure by which the funds can be used to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, and economy of the Gulf Coast region. The RESTORE Act reviews the following work for the distribution of the Trust Fund. 35 percent equally divided among the five states for ecological restoration, economic development, and tourism promotion. 30 percent plus interest managed by the Council for ecosystem restoration under the Comprehensive Plan. Another 30 percent divided among the States claimed by a formula to implement State plans, which needs the approval of the Council. 2.5 percent plus interest for the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring and Technology program within the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Also 2.5 percent plus interest distributed to the States for Centers of Excellence Research grants, which each will focus on science, technology, and monitoring related to Gulf restoration. In January 2013, Transocean agreed to pay $1 billion to fix federal Clean Water Act civil