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Today marks the sixth anniversary of the devastating Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. On April 20, 2010, an explosion from the Deepwater Horizon Macondo oil well caused the largest accidental oil spill in history. The resulting 87-day flow of oil from the sea floor became a human, economic, and environmental catastrophe for the Gulf of Mexico and its bordering states, including my home state of Florida.
First and foremost, it is important that we never forget the eleven lives lost on this tragic day. I keep the families so permanently affected by this tragedy in my prayers.
In Florida, the spill occurred in the midst of the state’s busiest beach and fishing seasons. When 88,500 square miles of the Gulf were closed off to fishing, the 131,000 jobs that support the $12.8 billion a year fishing and tourism industry were negatively impacted, and small businesses that relied on the tourism and fishing dollars suffered greatly. Hotel reservations were cancelled, restaurants sat empty, and beaches remained desolate. In addition to economic devastation, the Macondo spill was also one of the worst environmental disasters our nation has ever faced. For 87 days, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil flowed through the habitat of over 15,000 species.
Today, the Gulf Coast and surrounding states continue to recover after this devastating event. Just this month, a federal judge approved a settlement of $20 billion between the Obama Administration and BP. I was proud to be an original cosponsor of the RESTORE Act, legislation that was ultimately enacted to ensure that the majority of this settlement money is provided to Gulf states to address the outstanding impacts of the spill on both the environment and the economy. While I believe this conclusion is fitting, it is important that the entirety of the money is issued and spent appropriately so that our state and local partners will be ready to move forward with several projects to continue restoring the Gulf Coast.
During a time of tragedy, those in the region were hopeful and proved to be resilient. In the past six years, an immense amount of progress has been made through ongoing recovery efforts. Businesses have resumed and tourism is once again flourishing.
As we reflect on the past six years, the tragedy of the Macondo oil spill will never be forgotten, and the eleven men who lost their lives will forever live on in our hearts. As a nation, we must continue to look to the future and I stand ready to assist in any way possible in the ongoing recovery efforts.