As Deepwater Horizon Restoration Moves Forward, Fate of Past Oyster Reef Projects Unknown
The settlement of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill fines — the largest pollution penalty in history — will bring an unprecedented opportunity to spend billions of dollars on restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico region. But new research by Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies graduate Dr. Brittany Blomberg has found that the fate remains unknown of hundreds of previous oyster reef restoration projects performed around the United States, an investment of more than $45 million and thousands of hours of labor.