RESTORE Act

President Obama signed the RESTORE Act into law as part of the Transportation and Student Loan Interest Rate bill HR 4348. This article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cherri-foytlin/restore-act-gulf-restoration-funds_b_1679753.html is an op-ed discussing the merits and advantages of what the bill did and did not do. In essence, it allocates 80% of whatever money the US gets from BP from the Oil Spill disaster to the affected gulf states, and allows the states to determine how to spend the money.

The author is wary of the no strings attached approach because of past problems with money allocation after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I personally am glad to see this passed. In February I was at an oversight hearing for the Department of the Interior where the Senate subcommittee on the environment basically grilled Sec. Salazar on how his agency was allocating money and what they were doing for each state. Sen. Landreiu (D-LA) attacked the secretary and the rest of the committee for robbing money from her oil wealthy state to fund pet projects of the other senators in their states which don't face the devastating effects of oil pollution. She was the sponsor of this bill and I'm sure will work to make sure it is enforced correctly. She celebrated its passage with a coastal tour of Louisiana.