Posted on August 13, 2025
Over the past five years, NOAA and co-trustees have secured over $86 million from twelve pollution settlements addressing eight oil spills and four hazardous waste sites in the Southeast region. These funds contribute to the $9 billion recovered for restoration in the region since 1991.
These recovered funds are used for restoration projects that benefit the impacted communities, the ocean economy, and coastal recovery by enhancing robust fisheries, protecting endangered species, revitalizing coastal habitats, and improving recreation access. Explore these assessment and restoration projects by state.
NOAA is a Trustee for Public Natural Resources
NOAA leverages its scientific and technical expertise to assess and restore natural resources injured by ship groundings, hazardous waste sites, and oil spills that occur in the Southeast region. The restoration achieved through NOAA’s efforts benefits locally impacted communities that rely on the resources and commercial and recreational opportunities provided by healthy waterways. Restoration comes in many forms, is designed to help the environment recover, and can also restore recreational opportunities like fishing, swimming, and boating.
Using Science to Restore Polluted Coastal and Offshore Environments
The Southeast region of the United States spans from Texas to North Carolina and includes U.S. waters in the Gulf of America (formerly Gulf of Mexico) and the U.S. Caribbean. Home to the largest wetland acreage and the most extensive coral reef tract in the contiguous U.S., the region supports a wide range of vital habitats. These include estuarine habitats (including bays, tidal rivers, salt marshes, and mangrove forests), shallow marine habitats (including barrier islands, coral reefs, and the Continental Shelf), freshwater habitats (including lakes, springs, and rivers), and deep oceanic zones (including the continental slope, open ocean waters, and the deep seafloor).
Thousands of species depend on these ecosystems for survival, growth, and reproduction—underscoring the need for their protection. The region provides critical habitat for the endangered Rice’s whale, the only resident baleen whale in the Gulf of America, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining. This region also supports bottlenose dolphins, North Atlantic right whales, sea turtles, various corals, sawfish, manta rays, red snapper, groupers; and Gulf, shortnose, and Atlantic sturgeon. Additionally, the Southeast is a significant economic powerhouse for U.S. fisheries. It hosts the largest concentration of saltwater recreational fishing in the country—generating over $15 billion in annual sales—and its commercial fisheries rank second in the nation by volume. These diverse natural habitats are vital to both the economy and the environment, supporting a rich variety of wildlife.
However, the region also faces ongoing threats from ship groundings, oil spills, and hazardous waste releases. The unprecedented 87-day Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 injured the entire ecosystem of the northern Gulf of America. From marsh creation to improving the health and sustainability of fisheries, large-scale efforts to restore natural resources and communities in the Gulf have made significant progress addressing the spill’s impacts. However, there is still much to be done to ensure that the Gulf continues on its path towards restoration. Heavy maritime traffic, shallow waters, and frequent hurricanes and tropical storms increase the risk of damage to sensitive habitats. Aging industrial sites along the Gulf Coast and the area’s role as a major offshore energy hub—producing 14% of the nation’s crude oil and hosting nearly half of its refining capacity—further increase the potential risk of toxic releases.
Pollution Settlement Highlights: 2019-2023
Scroll to learn more about each of the twelve pollution settlements secured in the Southeast region through 2019-2023, worth over $86 million.
12 Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) settlements for restoration across four states:
- 8 oil spills, 4 hazardous waste sites
- 6 Louisiana, 3 Texas, 2 South Carolina, 1 Puerto Rico
$15.3 Million Settlement Finalized for Texas City Y Oil Spill Case in Galveston Bay, Texas
Location: Texas
Incident type: Oil Spill
Workers deployed boom around the site of the oil spill in the Houston Ship Channel near the Texas City Dike on March 24, 2014. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.
On January 20, 2022, a $15.3 million settlement was finalized for projects that will restore vital habitats, bottlenose dolphins, birds, shoreline habitats, and outdoor recreational opportunities impacted by the 2014 Texas City Y oil spill in Galveston Bay, Texas. Local communities and economies depend on recovery of these coastal ecosystems.
Case background: The Texas City Y oil spill occurred on March 22, 2014, when the bulk carrier M/V Summer collided with the tank-barge Kirby 27706. The damaged barge spilled an estimated 168,000 gallons of fuel oil into Galveston Bay, which flowed into the Gulf of America. More than 160 miles of Texas shoreline were oiled, with oil coming ashore as far south as Padre Island. This was the first large oil spill response following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010.
Federal and local agency workers helped clean up the beaches affected by the Texas City Y oil spill on March 27, 2014. Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard.
$19.69 Million Settlement Finalized for Restoration on Calcasieu River, Louisiana
Location: Oil Spill
Incident Type: Louisiana
Overflight photo of shoreline sheening and recovery operations. Image credit: NOAA.
On August 31, 2021, a settlement was finalized for $19.69 million to fund projects that restore fish, wildlife, marsh, and outdoor recreation opportunities that were impacted by an oil spill at CITGO’s Lake Charles Refinery on the Calcasieu River and estuary. The final restoration projects were selected with public input to ensure restoration efforts best benefit local ecosystems and communities along the Calcasieu River.
In the final restoration plan, projects selected include restoring 392 acres of marsh, creating 18 acres of oyster reef habitat, and contributing to an ongoing large project to create suitable nesting habitat for coastal island nesting birds in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. The selected projects aim to restore approximately 432 acres of habitat near the Calcasieu estuary to compensate for injuries to shoreline habitats, oysters, and birds.
Case background: In 2006 an oil spill occurred when two wastewater storage tanks at the CITGO Lake Charles Refinery overflowed and spilled millions of gallons of oil and oily water into the Indian Marais waterway. Contaminated water flowed into the Calcasieu River and estuary, which impacted an estimated 150 miles of shoreline habitats. NOAA coordinated with its co-trustees to assess injuries to natural resources and determine suitable restoration actions. Hundreds of acres of marsh, intertidal, and subtidal sediments were affected. The oil directly impacted fish, benthic organisms, and several species of birds, including secretive marsh birds such as rails and larger birds such as gulls.
Citgo Calcasieu Louisiana Long Point Bayou marsh. Image credit: Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Citgo Calcasieu Louisiana Long Point Bayou marsh. Image credit: Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Emergency Response Restoration after Ship Grounding in Puerto Rico
Location: Mona Island, Puerto Rico
Incident Type: Ship Grounding
In August 2023, a 40-foot semi-submersible drug-running vessel grounded on Mona Island, an island of the Puerto Rican archipelago and a protected natural reserve renowned for its ecological significance. Home to critical nesting beaches for sea turtles, designated habitat for endangered corals, a rich diversity of endemic species, and key seabird nesting grounds, Mona Island is arguably the most environmentally sensitive area in Puerto Rico. Due to leaking diesel fuel, the vessel posed an immediate threat to endangered sea turtles and coral species. The natural resource trustees—NOAA, alongside the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—secured emergency funding to remove the vessel and the ongoing danger posed by oil and oily debris. The successful extraction mitigated further environmental damage, preserving the integrity of this vital habitat.
Grounded low-profile drug running vessel on Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Image credit: Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources.
Additional Settlements in the Southeast Region Over the Past Five Years
Taylor Energy, Louisiana
- Amount: $16.5 million in 2022
- Outcome: Natural Resource Damage Assessment is ongoing; these funds are part of an initial settlement agreement with Taylor Energy and will be directed toward restoration projects.
MS Canyon 209, Louisiana
- Amount: $2.8 million in 2023
- Outcome: NOAA will use settlement funds to conduct restoration planning and implement restoration to compensate for injuries associated with the incident.
Barge DM932, Louisiana
- Amount: $5.3 million in 2021
- Outcome: Land acquisition and preservation, bottomland hardwood forest restoration, wetland creation, and enhancement of recreational opportunities along the Mississippi River.
Bayport Channel Collision, Texas
- Amount: $1.7 million in 2021
- Outcome: To offset the injuries caused by the Bayport Channel Collision oil spill, the settlement funds will be used for construction of living shoreline to protect high-quality wetland and coastal prairie habitats experiencing significant erosion and planting additional salt marsh habitat protected by the living shoreline in Galveston Bay.
Dupont Beaumont, Texas
- Amount: $629,000 in 2021
- Outcome: Preserve 475 acres of tidal wetlands, expanses of open water, and bands of upland forested habitat in Orange County, Texas, important habitat for fish, migratory birds, and waterfowl.
Tank Barge DBL 152, Gulf of America
- Amount: $4.5 million in 2021
- Outcome: Construct a breakwater to protect an eroding shoreline and marsh and restore emergent marsh between the breakwater and the shoreline in Galveston Bay.
Calcasieu Estuary Bayou d’Inde, Louisiana
- Amount: $7.95 million in 2019
- Outcome: Marsh terracing, mitigation bank acreage purchase, compensate for lost recreational fishing opportunities.
Exxon Mobil, South Carolina
- Amount: $6.3 million in 2019
- Outcome: Creation of two habitat restoration projects, a salt marsh and oyster reef.
Koppers, South Carolina
- Amount: $2 million in 2019
- Outcome: Oyster reef creation project
T/VÂ Margara, Puerto Rico
- Amount: $4.4 million in 2019
- Outcome: Reef stabilization, and coral propagation and outplanting to reefs in Puerto Rico.
Helping Habitats and Communities in the Southeast Recover From Pollution
Restoration Project Highlights: 2019-2024
Below are highlighted examples of restoration after pollution in the Southeast region.
Completion of the West Cove Living Shoreline in Louisiana
Location: Louisiana
Incident type: Oil Spill
A gabion basket filled with limestone is lowered into the water. Image credit: JCW Creative.
In June 2024, NOAA and partners completed the West Cove Living Shoreline project in Louisiana, addressing habitat damage from the Shell Green Canyon 248 oil spill in 2016. The implementing partner, The Nature Conservancy, constructed 1.5 miles of living shoreline using limestone-filled metal gabion baskets to promote oyster growth and restore protective reefs. This initiative will enhance fish and wildlife habitats, improve water quality, and mitigate shoreline erosion in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.
Case background: In May 2016, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a crude oil spill discharged from a Shell Offshore, Inc. well-head flow line in the Green Canyon Block 248 subsea oil production system. The oil leaked from a piping system used to transport oil from a production well on the seafloor. Shell reported that the incident resulted in an estimated discharge of 1,926 barrels of oil, or 80,892 gallons, into the waters of the Gulf of America. The assessment team documented surface slicks spreading and moving across the water’s surface where larval fish and invertebrates live as well as dolphins swimming in the slick and birds diving near the slick.
Upper Barataria Marsh Creation Project
State: Louisiana
Incident type: Oil Spill
NOAA and partners completed the Upper Barataria Marsh Creation Project in Louisiana’s Barataria Basin, restoring 1,200 acres of coastal wetlands impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The $181 million project involved dredging approximately 8.4 million cubic yards of sediment from the Mississippi River and pumping it over 13 miles to create new marshland. Additionally, the project provided more than 140 construction-related jobs. After completion in 2023, the project is now in a monitoring phase to assess its effectiveness in supporting fish and wildlife habitats, enhancing storm protection, and providing recreational opportunities.
Aerial showing marsh creation progress, July 2023. Vegetation has already begun to rapidly fill in. Image credit: Patrick M. Quigley.
Case background: On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded in the Gulf of America, tragically killing 11 workers and injuring 17 others before eventually sinking. The resulting catastrophic leak from the wellhead on the ocean floor released approximately 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. The well discharged oil and natural gas continuously and uncontrollably for 87 days before it could be capped, resulting in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
