An aerial view of the shoreline at Powderhorn Ranch in Texas. (Image Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation announced the sixth round of grants from its Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF), including 21 new projects in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas totaling more than $280 million. Developed in consultation with state and federal resource agencies, the projects are designed to remedy harm and reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Including this round of awards, NFWF has awarded nearly $1.3 billion dollars, or more than half of available funds.

NFWF created the GEBF in 2013 to receive and administer funds resulting from remedial orders in plea agreements between the U.S. Department of Justice and the oil companies BP and Transocean. The plea agreements resolved certain criminal charges against both companies relating to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Provisions within the agreements directed a total of $2.544 billion to NFWF over a five-year period to be used to support natural resource projects in each of the five Gulf states.

As required under the plea agreements, NFWF consulted with state resource agencies, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to identify potential project priorities and funding needs. The consultations ensure coordination between NFWF’s GEBF and the agencies’ related activities under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and RESTORE Act programs.

This latest round of GEBF projects complements those previously announced or currently under consideration by the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and RESTORE Act programs. Collectively, and where appropriate, these efforts are being coordinated and leveraged to advance large-scale Gulf Coast conservation outcomes and maximize sustainable environmental benefits.

Learn more about the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.