Rick's Blog

The Times-Picayune is reporting that the House gave voice vote approval to an amendment that would dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to a new Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. The vote was a key victory for supporters of using the fine money to finance environmental restoration in the five Gulf states, but only a first step. The amendment still needs Senate approval and enactment of separate legislation, called the RESTORE Act, to designate a formula for distributing the money, which could be in the billions of dollars. Read more.