Statement by the President on the Long-Term Recovery Plan After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

“I appreciate the hard work, led by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, to develop this recovery and restoration plan for the Gulf Coast.  The BP oil spill has created significant environmental and economic challenges for the region.  My Administration is committed to working with the people of the Gulf to help them restore the ecosystems that support them, rebuild their livelihoods and safeguard their health and safety.

“The Mabus report offers a commonsense proposal for a path forward, relying on the ideas and coordination of efforts at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels, as well as of nonprofits and the private sector.  I will ask Congress to provide dedicated resources to bolster the recovery effort, but we will not allow the recovery to wait for congressional action.  I have asked EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to lead a task force that will coordinate efforts to create healthier, more resilient ecosystems, while also encouraging economic recovery and long-term health issues.  In the Gulf, the economy and the environment are locked intrinsically together.

“We recognize that the recovery effort will take new thinking, cooperation, and creativity.  But, most of all, it will take time.  In the days ahead, we will stand with the people of the Gulf to help restore, rehabilitate, and revitalize the region.  And, together, we will finish the job.”