OR&R Looks Back at 2023: Restoration for Fish, Wildlife, and Communities Coming to Seven Polluted Waterways
JAN. 29, 2024 — On January 25, 2024, NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) highlighted the Office of Response and Restoration’s coastal recovery and restoration successes in 2023. OR&R and partners recovered over $92.8 million in pollution settlements to restore seven waterways in six states following oil spill and industrial pollution incidents throughout fiscal year 2023.
In New Jersey, Massachusetts, the Gulf of Mexico, Washington, Delaware, and Alaska, NOAA and partners worked to assess the impacts of these incidents and reach legal settlements with those responsible to fund restoration. These restoration efforts will benefit fish, wildlife, and disadvantaged communities disproportionately impacted by pollution.
OR&R, alongside NOAA's General Counsel for Natural Resources and Office of Habitat Conservation, created the Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) in 1992. These accomplishments add to over 30 years of pollution settlements recovering $10.7 billion for restoration of fisheries, wildlife, and coastal economies across the country.
For more information on our work restoring waterways after pollution, please visit NOAA’s DARRP website and learn more about these accomplishments in this video by NOS Assistant Administrator Nicole LeBoeuf.