The Obama Administration yesterday designated a new Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. This group, to be made up of a mixture of federal, state, tribal, and local representatives, will work to maximize efficiency in the Gulf of Mexico’s efforts to improve its resiliency in the wake of man-made disasters. To that end, heathy ecosystems are critical. As the press release explains:
. . . to effectively address the damage caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, address the longstanding ecological decline, and begin moving toward a more resilient Gulf Coast ecosystem, ecosystem restoration is needed.
In addition to improving coordination at all levels and providing biannual updates to the president, the group is charged with creating a Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy that is to include goals for ecosystem restoration and the creation of a set of performance indicators to track progress. This report is to be delivered within a year.
We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this group as they move forward, and will let you know what we learn as we learn it.
Read the whole announcement over on the White House’s website.