Natural Resource Trustees release Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Shell Green Canyon 248 Oil Spill
March 3, 2022
NOAA and co-trustees, released the Final Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (RP/EA) (PDF, 101 pages) for the Shell Green Canyon 248 oil spill. The Final RP/EA identifies how settlement funds will be used to restore habitats for the fish, birds, and marine mammals impacted by the release of oil and how the selected restoration projects aim to compensate the public for the natural resources and services injured as a result of the spill.
The selected restoration alternatives include:
- The creation of a living shoreline in West Cove, Calcasieu Lake along Sabine National Wildlife Refuge in Cameron Parish, Louisiana
- The creation of a 5 acre colonial bird nesting island on Pass-a-Loutre Wildlife Management Area in the Mississippi River Bird’s Foot Delta
- A genetic stock assessment project on pantropical spotted dolphin populations off the coast of Louisiana
These projects would address the natural resource injuries as a result of the spill, create and enhance natural habitat for birds and other species and help improve our understanding of pantropical spotted dolphin distribution in the Gulf of Mexico, leading to improved population assessments and more effective management.
The natural resource trustees for this case include NOAA, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Louisiana Oil Spill Coordinator’s Office, the Department of Public Safety, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Background on the 2016 Oil Spill
On May 11, 2016, on Green Canyon Block 248, 97 miles off the coast of Louisiana, a crude oil spill from a well-head flow line resulted in the discharge of 80,892 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. On September of 2018, NOAA and co-trustees entered into a Consent Decree with the responsible party, Shell Offshore Inc, for $3.6 million, to restore habitat and natural resources impacted by the release of the Shell Green Canyon 248 oil spill.
