In 2023,
NOAA and partners helped recover over $92 million from polluters to restore
seven waterways in six states following oil spill and industrial pollution incidents.
When contamination occurs, the impacts to plants, wildlife
and people who live or recreate in the affected areas can be devastating.
NOAA worked to ensure that communities disproportionately impacted by pollution
will benefit from restoration projects funded by the settlements.
In Gloucester Harbor, Massachusetts,
efforts will seek to recover fish and wildlife
harmed from decades of pollutants released from a plant that manufactured
cooking and heating gas from coal and oil
along this historic working waterfront.
In the Gulf of Mexico,
restoration work will help to offset contamination impacts after a pipeline
release of oil deep under water in 2017.
In Sitka, Alaska,
projects will focus on Pacific herring restoration and shellfish
monitoring to enhance seafood safety for local and Indigenous communities
impacted by an oil spill when a tugboat sank in 2017.
Restoration projects will also benefit working communities and recreational areas
in New Jersey, Washington, Delaware and additional sites in Alaska.
As a steward of our ocean and coasts,
we are proud to continue sharing these success stories with you
as we work to ensure that those responsible for the pollution
provide for restoration where impacts occur.
Learn more about NOAA's role in protecting and restoring the nation's
coastal and marine resources by visiting the link in this post.