Nearly $226 million to restore open Gulf after 2010 BP oil spill

Posted: Dec 11, 2019 / 04:44 PM CST / Updated: Dec 11, 2019 / 04:44 PM CST

FILE – In this April 2010 file photo, oil can be seen in the Gulf of Mexico, more than 50 miles southeast of Venice on Louisiana’s tip, as a large plume of smoke rises from fires on BP’s Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig. Federal agencies have approved $225 million in settlement money from the BP oil spill for 18 projects to restore the open ocean. The projects are described in a 490-page report released Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

(AP) — Federal agencies have approved more than $200 million for 18 projects to restore the open Gulf of Mexico after the 2010 BP oil spill.

The projects are described in a report released Tuesday. The biggest is about $52 million to study deep-sea habitats. The smallest is about $300,000 to find ways to keep sea turtles from swallowing longline fishing hooks or tangled in the lines. The money is from a fund created by BP in a 2016 settlement for natural resources damage.

A nonprofit group called the Ocean Conservancy calls it a major conservation milestone for the Gulf.

LATEST POSTS

TRENDING STORIES