. . . 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.

BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Announce Implementation of BP’s $500 Million Independent Research Initiative

HOUSTON – BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance today announced plans for the implementation of BP’s $500 million Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI) to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact on the environment and public health.
On May 24, BP announced the overall research program with the commitment to fund $500 million over a 10-year period for scientific studies. While the details of the full program were being developed, a series of fast-track grants were made to accelerate data acquisition and analysis: Louisiana State University ($5 million), the Northern Gulf Institute ($10 million), the Florida Institute of Oceanography ($10 million), the Alabama Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium ($5 million) and the National Institutes of Health ($10m).

Today’s announcement details the agreement for program implementation for the remaining years of the 10-year program. The Gulf of Mexico Alliance will administer the GRI with the ability to execute contracts and provide the required program management support.
“We are delighted that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance has agreed to participate in the implementation of the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative,” said David Rainey, Vice President of Science, Technology, Environment, and Regulatory Affairs, in BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization. “BP is committed to understanding the long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon incident on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico. With this agreement in place we can now move forward to engage the best research scientists in the Gulf Coast, and elsewhere.”

The GRI will be managed by a board comprised of scientists from academic institutions with peer-recognized credentials. BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance will appoint an equal number of research scientists to the board.
The objectives of the research will be to address the following five themes:

1. The physical distribution and ultimate fate of contaminants associated with the Deepwater Horizon incident.
2. The chemical evolution and biological degradation of the contaminants.
3. The environmental effects of the contaminants on Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, and the science of ecosystem recovery.
4. Technology developments for improved detection, characterization, mitigation, and remediation of offshore oil spills.
5. Integration of the previous four themes in the context of human health.

“I am extremely excited that the Gulf of Mexico Alliance has this opportunity to join BP in this ground-breaking research initiative,” said Dr. Bill Walker, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and current Co-Chair of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance Management Team. “The Alliance has worked for several years on priority issues such as water quality, habitat conservation, ecosystem integration and coastal community resilience. We believe the fundamental work provided by this research initiative will both inform and help direct work to ensure the viability of the Gulf Coast.”

The independent scientific research will be conducted at academic institutions primarily in the US Gulf Coast states. However, appropriate partnerships with institutions based outside the US Gulf region will be welcome.
Funds will be distributed using the practice of merit review by peer evaluation as described in the 2005 Report of the National Science Board (NSB-05-119).

Individual researchers will comply with professional standards as laid out in the National Academy of Sciences Publication – On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research (2009).

The research will involve sampling, modelling and studies – not acquisition or construction of infrastructure such as ships or laboratories.

All GRI-funded research will be independent of BP, and the results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals with no requirement for BP approval.

Here’s the entire version in English:

FACT SHEET: BP CLAIMS

BP has established a process for Gulf Coast individuals, businesses and government entities to file claims to cover the loss of personal income, the loss of net business profits, and damages to personal or business property because of the Deepwater Horizon Incident and oil spill. BP is committed to paying all legitimate claims.

The following describes the process:

Government Entities

States, parishes, counties and local government and other political subdivisions that have incurred expenses responding to the Deepwater Horizon Incident and oil spill will have a separate dedicated process. Government entities should call (302) 476-7732. All government claims will be handled by a specialized team and will be given high priority.

BP has made advanced funds available to the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, as well as several local parishes in Louisiana. Local Government Entities are not required to submit claims to the states and parishes who received advanced funds prior to submitting claims to BP.

Individuals and Businesses

Filing a claim is FREE, simple and can be done in several ways:

1. Call 1-800-440-0858. The average wait time for a representative is about 12 seconds.
2. File a claim online at various websites, including www.bp.com/claims.
3. Visit one of the 25 BP claim centers; however, BP recommends that claimants first obtain a claim number by calling the toll free line. This will avoid delays.
4. Mail a claim to ESIS, One Beaver Valley Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.
5. Claims that are of large monetary value or are based on complex economic predictions of loss should be sent to ESIS, One Beaver Valley Road, Wilmington, DE 19803. These claims will be handled by specialized claim adjusters with the assistance of accountants and lawyers.

BP is striving to ensure the claims process is as simple as possible.

• Individuals filing a claim for lost income can do so with a tax return or W-2 – whatever will show what their previous Income was over a 30-day period.
• Deckhands and others that work on a cash-only basis also can submit claims. They will need to provide a photo ÎD and a copy of a pay stub or another document showing how much money they earn. They also will need to provide a phone number for their captain or manager to confirm employment.
• BP will continue to evaluate whether additional payments are appropriate because claimants remain out of work due to the spill.
• Claimants should only file one claim. They can report different types of damages on the same form with the same claim number. Multiple claim numbers will delay the review of the claim. Claim adjusters will help deal with any exceptions to this,
• Questions should be discussed with a claim adjuster.

Supporting Documentation

BP has directed claims processors to make the process as simple, fair, and fast as possible.
Claimants will need to provide photo ID and documentation supporting their loss. Below is , information about what is needed to support various claims.

• Loss of income or net profit claim documentation can include tax records, trip ticket, wage loss statements, deposit slips, boat registration or copies of a current fishing license. Commercial economic loss claims may require additional business specific records. Loss of rental claims can include prior occupancy rates, cancellations, tax records, and bookkeeping records.
• Property damage claims can require photographs and replacement or cleaning receipts. Larger property damage claims may require on-site inspection by a claim adjuster.
• Bodily injury claims are not payable under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990; however, BP will evaluate each bodily injury claim submitted on a case-by-case basis. Claimants will need to provide medical records, medical bills, or pharmacy records to support the claim.

How to Check Existing Claims

To check on the status of a claim or if a claimant has not heard from a claim adjuster, he or she can call 1-800-673-8249. They should be prepared to provide their name, address, and claim number so that the claim can be more easily located.

Our Commitment to Resolving Pending Claims

In some cases, claimants have been unable to provide verification information, such as proof of lost income, which has prevented them from being paid at this time.

BP is committed to working with individuals to ensure that ALL legitimate claims are paid. We have asked the companies processing claims to assist individuals and businesses that may be experiencing difficulty identifying or locating necessary information so their needs can be met.

June 8, 2010

You can download a scanned PDF of this in other languages here:

• BP Claims Fact Sheet: Spanish
• BP Claims Fact Sheet: Vietnamese
• BP Claims Fact Sheet: Khmer

Scientists with the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will hold the last of four panels to discuss the long-term impacts of the ongoing Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Friday, June 25, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Harte Research Institute, Conference Room 127.

The panel discussion is free and open to the public. The meeting can also be viewed on the Internet by going here and clicking on “TAMUCC HRI Panel Discussion on Gulf Oil Spill.”

Remember to keep an eye (or an RSS reader) on the StormSmart Coasts calendar for events like this in the future.

“Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster” (on MSNBC)

The brief memo suggest that the NFIP will bill the party that caused the oil damage (in this case, British Petroleum) for the damages. And while this bit is somewhat less clear, it sounds like if the policyholder later directly bills the responsible party for the same damage, the policyholder must pay back the NFIP (no double-dipping).

A few other selections from the memo:

• Coverage for commercial buildings and contents must be purchased separately and the limit for damage caused by pollutants is $10,000
• Homes and contents are covered up to the policy limits (this doesn’t raise the maximum payout)
• Damage to ground, soil, or land caused by flood, oil, or flood water mixed with oil is not covered

You can download a PDF the June 7 memo “Write Your Own (WYO) Principal Coordinators and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Servicing Agent” here.

What’s the real worst case scenario for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill? What it the oil keeps gushing all summer?

The New York Times is reporting that a team of scientists has run the models, and that the results aren’t pretty. Nearly all of the simulations show oil heading into the Atlantic, and, perhaps, even making it over to Europe.

However, the group is quick to note that there are several caveats to the study, and in the end warns:

We cannot be sure that this model is very realistic. With a grid cell size of slightly less than 10 square kilometers the model can not resolve near shore processes and might underestimate the lateral exchange in the Gulf Stream system. On the other hand, models of this type have also been criticized to have still to slow currents and to much numerical diffusion. More scientific work needs to be done to have a better idea of the fate of the spilled oil.

Let’s hope we don’t end up ground testing these models.

“Oil Could Reach Atlantic Coasts” (The New York Times)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE-1G_476nA&feature=player_embedded

The bad news: the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill continues to spread without an end in site. Have a look at this interactive map that shows the extent of the oil each day since it started (be sure to hit the “play” button). Oh, and the National Weather Service is predicting an 85% chance of an above normal hurricane season.

Here’s to hoping we’re all awfully lucky.

On the one hand, nobody likes the idea of the a hurricane pushing the oil that’s currently at sea into the Gulf’s beaches (or further inland). On the other hand, some folks, including some researchers at NOAA, suggest that the slick itself might slow hurricane formation by interfering with the transfer of energy from the ocean to the air. Guess we’ll all wait and see.

Huge BP spill means a high-stakes hurricane season (via Reuters)