New Website Tracks Impacts of Coastal Restoration On Businesses and the Gulf Economy
This post originally appeared on the website OurCoastOurEconomy.org.
Environmental Defense Fund today launched a new business-focused website, OurCoastOurEconomy.org, which provides comprehensive information and data on the direct links between Louisiana coastal restoration and the survival and growth of business sectors in the state, Gulf region and nation.
The website offers resources on the economics of restoration, policy updates on the RESTORE Act and other restoration funding, a map of businesses poised to grow with increased funding for coastal restoration, news updates and reports.
Who would find this website helpful?
- Business leaders who care about making sure RESTORE monies get spent as intended.
- Policymakers interested in the types and locations of business that will benefit from restoration.
- Reporters following the RESTORE Act and covering why it matters to businesses.
If you are a supporter and advocate of coastal restoration, you will find this site useful for messaging and talking points. Be sure to check out the news section where, for instance, you can learn that the long-awaited Treasury regulations for the RESTORE Act have recently been issued and that an important new ruling has been issued in the BP oil spill trial. If you are a business involved in coastal restoration, you will find out about important tools like the state’s Hot List, which tracks the status on current projects and projects under development.
What will you find?
The site contains many useful resources – in plain English – about the crisis of coastal land loss in Louisiana, what’s happening with implementation of the federal RESTORE Act and the status of related funding streams available for Louisiana coastal restoration. For example, site visitors may be interested in:
- Videos and voices of businesses leaders speaking out in support of coastal restoration.
- Reports and fact sheets that help make the business case for coastal restoration.
- News about coastal restoration, focusing mostly on policy and funding developments.
- Restoration policy primer on oil spill-related policy and funding information, including:
- What the RESTORE Act is and where the pots of money will go
- Timeline for distribution of available monies from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements
- Other funding sources, including the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
- Links to federal and state agencies, including the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.
- Timely reminders about upcoming hearings, CPRA and other public meetings and conferences.
- Facts about the economics of restoration, showing how restoration will both grow new businesses and protect existing business sectors – including shipping, oil and gas, fisheries and wildlife tourism.
How can you help?
We always need business leaders willing to speak out in support of restoration, be available for media interviews, write letters to the editor or participate in key meetings. If you want to help, we can loop you into what’s happening. Contact us or sign up for monthly updates.
You can also help by telling others about this new website by:
- Emailing a link to your network and business contacts
- Sample tweet:
Coastal land loss is not only bad for the environment — it’s bad for the economy. To learn more, visit www.ourcoastoureconomy.org
- Sample Facebook post:
Coastal wetlands in Louisiana are disappearing at the rate of a football field of land every hour. This land loss threatens our communities as well as thousands of businesses and jobs along the Gulf Coast. To learn more about what can be done, visit www.ourcoastoureconomy.org.
If you are a business, please cruise around the site and let us know if it’s helpful, or what would make it more useful for your business purposes. To contribute content or get more information, contactjwyerman@edf.org.