Coordination in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Process: General Tools and Mechanisms
Author
Amy Streitwieser, Teresa Chan, Jay Austin, Azi Akpan
Date Released
March 2018

As a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a number of different funding processes have been put in place to help restore and recover the Gulf of Mexico. The three main ones are the natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), the RESTORE Act, and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (GEBF), which together will distribute over $16 billion. Each of these processes has its own objectives, timelines, governance structure, and opportunities for the public to engage.

Fast Tracking Restoration: Addressing Resource Constraints in Federal Agencies
Author
Benjamin Solomon-Schwartz, Teresa Chan, Amy Streitwieser, Jay Austin, Azi Akpan
Date Released
December 2017

In general, federal agencies can only expend funds allocated to them through the Congressional appropriations process. Under some circumstances, however, federal agencies are allowed to accept outside funds or share personnel with other entities. This report highlights some of these circumstances. Appropriately applied, these provisions may assist federal agencies overseeing Gulf restoration in addressing at least some of their resource constraints related to environmental compliance.

Policy Options for a Bermuda Nearshore Marine Spatial Planning Process
Author
Read D. Porter, Dr. Kathryn Mengerink, Bruce Myers, David Roche, Xiao Recio-Blanco
Date Released
November 2016

Bermuda’s nearshore marine environment is a critical economic, environmental, and social resource that supports a wide array of recreational and commercial uses, including but not limited to commercial and recreational fishing, dive tourism, commercial and cruise shipping, and undersea cabling. These uses must coexist, and the challenge of managing the intensive use of the Bermuda Platform and other nearshore waters will increase in the future as new activities, like offshore energy and aquaculture facilities, are introduced.

Good Projects Checklist
Author
David Roche, Teresa Chan, Azi Akpan
Date Released
May 2017

Our Good Projects Checklist is intended to help members of the public determine whether a restoration project is good or not. It includes seven different elements of what to look for in a project. For each element, we provide: (1) a list of questions to determine whether a project adequately includes that element; (2) guidance on how to apply the element; and (3) an example of a Gulf project that satisfies the element.

Legal Risk Analysis for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategies in San Diego: Executive Summary
Author
David Roche, Teresa Chan, Rebecca Kihslinger
Date Released
June 2017
Legal Risk Analysis for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategies in San Diego: Execu

Sea level rise raises significant legal questions for local governments, especially in California. On the one hand, taking action could decrease risk to the community, but increase litigation risk from aggrieved property owners or public interest groups, depending on the nature of the action. On the other hand, a local government could decide not to act, exposing people and infrastructure to excess risk, while potentially exposing itself to litigation if the lack of action causes harm to individuals or public trust property. Risk is thus unavoidable.

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