In what turned out to be an extremely challenging 2020 due to the global pandemic, the Deepwater Horizon Trustees continued the fifth year of post-settlement restoration. Annual reports on all of the Trustees’ restoration activities and an annual financial summary are now available. We provide these reports each year to help stakeholders and communities stay up to date on our work.
Throughout 2020, the Trustee Implementation Groups approved 10 new restoration plans and 30 new projects. In the 11 years since the spill, more than 250 different activities, including plans and projects, have been approved to restore injured Gulf resources. The combined allocated cost of restoration projects so far is $1,606,762,162.
We look forward to sharing more detailed accomplishments from last year at the upcoming June 17 Trustee Council Annual Meeting webinar. The Trustees are also working on a more comprehensive effort to share restoration progress from the 5 years since the settlement. Stay tuned for more information about that later in the year.
Accessing Annual Activity and Project Reports
The 2020 annual reports include information on the Trustees’ planning activities and project implementation. They show each activity’s status as of December 31, 2020. In total, there are 257 reports available, which include 213 approved restoration projects. The remaining 44 reports focus on restoration plans and other planning activities.
The updated reports can be found via each of the seven Restoration Area pages and our interactive map of Gulf Spill Restoration Projects. Go to either of those resources to find links to detailed information on individual activities.
If you’re on a Restoration Area page, direct links to each activity or project are under the “Projects” heading. Click on a project name, then you’ll be sent to its project page where the report can be downloaded by clicking on the “Print Last Annual Report” link.
In the interactive map, locate a project and click on the “More Project Information” link in the pop up window. You’ll then be sent to the same project page mentioned above.
The annual reports include descriptions of the activities and projects, and Trustee staff contacts. Additionally, they may include monitoring, financial, and environmental compliance information. Although all Trustee Implementation Group activities, including restoration planning activities and “on-the-ground” projects, are listed on the Restoration Area pages, only projects are listed in the interactive map.
Visit the Restoration Area Pages and Interactive Map
| Texas Restoration Area | |
| Regionwide Restoration Area | |
| Open Ocean Restoration Area | |
| Interactive Project Map |
2020 Annual Financial Summary Report
The Trustees also released the 2020 Annual Financial Summary Report (PDF, 2 pg) which breaks down funds, including what has been received and allocated, for each Trustee Implementation Group through December 31, 2020. The 2016 settlement with BP included up to $8.8 billion for restoration to address natural resource injuries from the spill.
Dive Deeper into the Data
Find more advanced data exploration tools in the Data Integration Visualization Exploration and Reporting Portal, or “DIVER.” This is an easy-to-remember acronym for a powerful restoration reporting tool. You can use DIVER to search, map, and download data on all our restoration projects and related activities.