As part of the final version of the science project for the N.O.A.A. RESTORE Act Science Plan, today N.O.A.A. announced ten long-term research priorities in the Gulf of Mexico, including how the Gulf's waters, natural resources, fisheries and coastal communities are all interconnected. NOAA's Plan supports research on the Gulf's long-term ecological sustainability and its fisheries.
"Addressing the recommendations provided during the public review period has resulted in a stronger science plan," said Becky Allee, Ph.D., lead author of the N.O.A.A. RESTORE Act Science Program. "We look forward to continued dialogue with those who care about the Gulf of Mexico, the impact this Plan can have on the region, and to working with the research and resource management communities to address the priorities captured in the plan."
Among the key research priorities identified in the project are:
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Focusing on developing a more complete understanding of how the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, its natural resources, including fisheries, and its coastal communities are connected;
In making its selection of long-term research priorities, N.O.A.A. considered specific management or restoration needs in the Gulf region that fit the requirements for the science Plan outlined in the RESTORE Act (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States).
N.O.A.A. also sought to avoid duplicating the priorities of other Gulf science programs, especially those created in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, such as the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative, the National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Plan, and those funded through the on-going Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment.
N.O.A.A. received 20 sets of comments from organizations and private citizens during a public review period on a outline version of the science project at the end of 2014, totaling 241 recommendations altogether. An overview of the response to comments N.O.A.A. received can be found in the Federal Register notice announcing the plan's release.
The final project clarified NOAA's role in the program, added information on how the Plan will turn the long-term research priorities into future backing opportunities, and added information on general areas where future plans may be located.
The project also shows how the Plan will be administered and will work with partners. The long-term research priorities in the science project will serve as the basis for future federal backing opportunities administered through the N.O.A.A. RESTORE Act science program. N.O.A.A. anticipates that the science project and its research priorities will be evaluated and updated every 5 years.
The N.O.A.A. Plan will be funded by 2.5 percent of the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, established by the RESTORE Act, which comprises 80 percent of Clean Water Act civil penalties recovered from parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. On February 19, 2013, a federal judge approved a $1 billion civil settlement with Transocean, as a responsible party for the oil spill. This settlement provides the N.O.A.A. Restore Act Science Plan with approximately $20 million plus 25 percent of any interest accrued from the portion of the settlement deposited into the Trust Fund.
Additional backing may become accessible from settlements with or judgments against other parties deemed responsible by the courts for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The mission of the N.O.A.A. RESTORE Act Science Plan is to increase understanding of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, including its fisheries, and to support its restoration and sustainability through research, observation, monitoring, and technology development.
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our other social media channels.
