Settling Debts

The Deepwater Horizon disaster spewed 3.19 million barrels of oil into the Gulf over eighty-seven days in 2010. Eight years later, debts are still being paid. The $20.8 billion settlement—the largest environmental damage settlement in the nation’s history—has gone to resource restoration, revitalization, and research as well as to state projects and planned academic institutions. This summer, Governor John Bel Edwards announced plans for $60 million of that settlement money in a variety of projects across the Gulf Coast, with an eye to bolster Louisiana’s faltering reputation as a Sportsman’s Paradise. Prominent projects include improvements to Grand Isle State Park and Elmer’s Island Refuge, with upgrades to piers and roads as well as new boardwalks and trails. The Lake Charles Science Center is the biggest expenditure, with $7 million allocated to erect the education center, which will include an aquarium, a pavilion and trails, and a fishing pond. Parks, wildlife management areas, and boat launches across South Louisiana will all see some of the settlement. Visit bit.ly/2O0obfU for the full list of projects.