skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

One Billion Dollars in BP Fines Creates Opportunity for Texas Gulf Coast Restoration

play audio
Play

Tuesday, November 11, 2014   

GALVESTON, Texas - Fines paid by British oil giant BP in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will soon be flowing into Texas. Dozens of businesses and organizations say the state must focus the windfall on restoring wildlife habitat along the Gulf Coast.

Texas is expected to receive as much as one billion dollars through the federal Restore Act, signed into law in 2012.

Steven Bender, regional representative at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and director of the Vanishing Paradise program, calls it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Texas environment and economy.

"A good, healthy ecosystem down the coast means fishing and hunting opportunities for sportsmen, which brings dollars into hotels and restaurants, guide services, and other venues," he says. "Having a healthy coast means also having a healthy economy."

The National Wildlife Federation is one of about 80 sporting groups and outdoors businesses that sent a letter regarding the funding to Governor Rick Perry and Governor-elect Greg Abbott. Kirby Brown, conservation outreach biologist with Ducks Unlimited, says the letter urges the restoration of fisheries, marine resources, wildlife habitats and wetlands to support and expand related jobs and industries.

"When you look at the Gulf Coast, you look at those bays, estuaries, and the wetlands associated with it," he says. "If they're functioning, if we're putting dollars into those things in ways that make sense, we can impact an entire gulf complex."

Earlier this fall BP was found grossly negligent for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The trial to determine the total amount the company will be fined for violating the Clean Water Act is scheduled to begin in January.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021