Council

RestoretheGulf.gov is the official federal portal for the Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery. This site provides the public with information on the response, current operations, news and updates, how to file a claim and obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state and local partners;

These important fact sheets contain detailed and accurate information about the response to the Gulf oil spill on a variety of different health, claims, environmental and wildlife subjects. View the full collection or look at agency specific collections for the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service or Small Business Administration.

• Classroom - These classroom lesson plans discuss marine environments and oil spills.
• Fact Sheets - These important fact sheets contain detailed and accurate information about the response to the Gulf oil spill on a variety of different health, claims, environmental and wildlife subjects.  View the full collection or look at agency specific collections for the Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service or Small Business Administration.

At the start of the BP Deepwater oil spill, the Coast Guard elevated the response by establishing a Regional Command Center and Joint Information Center in New Orleans, La., inviting all partners in the response efforts to join. Given the magnitude of the spill, this is a long-term response to support the Gulf region.

By Agency A-Z - The federal partners organized In alphabetical order.

By Topic A-Z - The federal partners organized by common topics.

In order to address the long-term environmental, economic, and societal impacts of the Deepwater Horizon-BP oil spill, and weave together local plans and development priorities with state and federal assistance, the President asked Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, to lead the integrated Gulf Coast Reconstruction Effort.

Subsequently, the Secretary spent countless hours in the Gulf, hearing from thousands of local residents, businesses, and elected officials to shape the foundation for his report. The resulting plan balances the needs of the people, the environment, and the economic livelihood of the region. It provides a proposal for a path forward to rebuild and preserve the Gulf’s unique ecosystem, to succeed in creating sustained economic development, and to succeed in giving opportunities back to those whose livelihoods have been shattered by the spill.

To begin to implement the plan, the President has asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to chair the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. This advisory body will focus on efforts to create more resilient and healthy Gulf Coast ecosystems, while also encouraging support for economic recovery and long-term health issues.

There are four active investigations across the federal government related to the BP Oil Spill, its causes and its aftermath. The inquiries will:

• cover matters related to the explosion
• aim to reach an independent, science-based understanding of what happened
• investigate and prosecute all meritorious reports of fraud related to the oil spill and its aftermath
• recommend how we can prevent – and mitigate the impact of – any future spills that result from offshore drilling

View a five-month historical archive of the Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill, including the response by the numbers – for vessels deployed, feet of boom used, oily water recovered, oil burned and more — documenting an unprecedented inter-agency effort to tackle the problem.

This section lists state-specific resources, including area plans and state incident response websites. Find state resources for Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas here.

The Task Force was formed to build on the ongoing spill response and natural resource damage assessment effort, as well as achieve overall recovery for the gulf, and is comprised of federal and state leaders and informed by stakeholders in the region. President Obama appointed EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, a New Orleans native, chair of the Task Force. The Task Force completed their work in December 2012.