Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force was created by President Obama through an Executive Order (PDF) (5pp, 69K, About PDF) on October 5, 2010, and is the result of a recommendation made in Secretary Mabus' report (PDF) (122pp, 9MB, About PDF) on long term recovery following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. By October 5, 2011, the Task Force is charged with development of a restoration strategy that proposes a Gulf Coast ecosystem restoration agenda.

Learn more information about the Task Force

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Protecting America's Gulf Coast:
The Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy

 

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Gulf Coast Task Force Releases Final Ecosystem Restoration Strategy on December 5, 2011

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force today released its final strategy (PDF) (128 pp., 3.2 MB, About PDF) for long term ecosystem restoration for the Gulf Coast, following extensive feedback from citizens throughout the region. EPA Administrator and Task Force Chair Lisa P. Jackson, joined by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment Harris Sherman, made the announcement today during keynote remarks at the 2011 State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit in Houston. 

The Task Force delivered the final strategy on Friday, Dec. 2 to President Barack Obama, who established the Task Force by executive order to continue the Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Gulf region.

The strategy is the first restoration blueprint ever developed for the Gulf with the full involvement of all of the essential parties throughout the region, including the states, tribes, federal agencies, local governments and thousands of involved citizens and organizations.  The plan represents a commitment by all parties to continue to work together in an unprecedented collaboration to prepare the Gulf region to transition from response to recovery and address the decades-long decline that the Gulf’s ecosystem has endured.

This final strategy represents the Task Force’s strong commitment to the restoration of the Gulf Coast. The strategy was developed following more than 40 public meetings throughout the Gulf to listen to the concerns of the public.

The Spanish and Vietnamese versions of this document will appear on this page as available.

Response to Public Input
The development of the preliminary Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy was based on a robust framework of public listening sessions conducted over the course of 2011.  Following the release of the Preliminary Strategy in October, the Task Force conducted a three-week public feedback period. During this time, the Task Force received more than 300 unique comments from individuals and groups who reviewed the Preliminary Strategy and provided their input. A complete set of the comments received are available for review.   The Task Force members considered the public feedback they received as they finalized the Strategy.  Additional information on the Task Force response to public feedback to the Preliminary Strategy document is included in the Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy Response to Public Input (PDF) (41 pp., 755 K, About PDF) document.

Response to Tribal Comments Received During Consultation and Coordation with Tribes
The Task Force conducted consultation and coordination with affected federally recognized tribes in Gulf Coast states during the development of the Strategy following Executive Order 13175 on consultation and coordination with tribes, as well as EPA’s Tribal Consultation Policy (PDF) (10 pp., 141 K, About PDF). The Task Force was also informed by the tribal consultations supporting the oil spill response and Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process.

The Task Force thanks the tribal representatives who were engaged in the consultation, all of whom provided very valuable input for the Strategy and the process moving forward.  In response to comments received during the consultation, the Task Force also sought input from tribes with ancestral lands in the Gulf. The comments received and the responses to those comments are in the Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy- Response to Tribal Comments (PDF) (6 pp., 275 K, About PDF).

To sign up to receive automatic updates on Task Force activities and announcements, please email gulfcoasttaskforce@epa.gov to join the listserv.