Recent Updates

January 26, 2012 Gulf Commitment: The seafood
January 23, 2012 Restoration Gulf Coast: Louisiana flyway
January 21, 2012 Public hearings set for early restoration projects
January 20, 2012 Successful ‘Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash’ wraps up in New Orleans
January 18, 2012 BP's quest to earn back America's trust
January 13, 2012 BP Provides $4 Million to Enhance Training for Oil and Gas Workers in the US Gulf of Mexico
January 13, 2012 Public meetings focus on Gulf early restoration projects
January 12, 2012 Gulf Coast Restoration: The Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife
January 12, 2012 Emeril Lagasse promotes Gulf seafood
January 12, 2012 Spill study explains how microbes helped clean Gulf
January 12, 2012 Louisiana residents urged to vote for "South's Tastiest Town"
January 7, 2012 Chef Emeril Lagasse adds more Gulf seafood dishes to restaurant menus
January 6, 2012 Gulf seafood and tourism in spotlight
January 6, 2012 Gulf Coast promoting seafood, tourism during BCS games
January 6, 2012 Public meetings scheduled in Louisiana for Gulf Coast early restoration projects

January 26, 2012: Gulf Commitment: The seafood

Generations of fishermen have made their livelihoods and their homes on the Gulf Coast. They want you to know that seafood -- shrimp, oysters and all sorts of fish -- from the Gulf of Mexico is the most inspected and most tested in the world. The confidence they have in their catch has never been higher, and they want you to try it for yourself. View video of "Gulf Commitment: The seafood."

Click on image to enlarge and view additional information.

Restoration Gulf Coast: Louisiana flyway

More waterfowl winter in Coastal Louisiana than any other place in North America. It is critical that these birds have wetland habitat in which to break their journey. This is why the work of Ducks Unlimited and the farmers of Southwest Louisiana is so important. Each November, tens of thousands of acres of rice fields are flooded to give millions of birds a point of refuge. This effort is made possible in part through grants from BP's Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife.

View video of "Restoration Gulf Coast: Louisiana flyway".

Successful ‘Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash’ wraps up in New Orleans

New Orleans – Two spectacular college football games are in the books and so is BP’s successful Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash. BP created the event in partnership with Gulf Coast tourism planners as a way to celebrate Gulf Coast culture, seafood and tourism – and to maximize exposure for the area during the Allstate Sugar Bowl and BCS National Championship.

Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash events included celebrity chef appearances by Emeril Lagasse and John Besh who both conducted dozens of national TV interviews to share Gulf seafood recipes and the news that the Gulf is open for business. “We’re in heaven, the beaches are open and the seafood has never been better,” said Besh to a Chicago reporter. “It’s all about seafood and tourism for us and the city right now, here in New Orleans – it’s electric.”

View video of Gulf Coast Seafood and Tourism Bash.

Gulf Coast Restoration: The Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife

In 2010, BP donated approximately $22 million to help wildlife recovery and restoration. Known as the Recovered Oil Fund For Wildlife, this fund has not only helped protect endangered sea turtles and thousands of migratory birds, it has provided an opportunity to address long-standing issues in the Gulf ecosystem and help to create a healthier Gulf. Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which administers the fund, explains its mission and how the fund works.

View video of Recovered Oil Fund for Wildlife.

BP's quest to earn back America's trust

In a speech to the Economic Club of Chicago, CEO Bob Dudley reaffirmed BP's commitment to US energy security.

Read BP CEO Bob Dudley's speech.

BP Provides $4 Million to Enhance Training for Oil and Gas Workers in the US Gulf of Mexico

HOUMA, LA. – BP announced it will provide $4 million to Fletcher Technical Community College to construct a new Integrated Production Technologies (IPT) facility. The new facility, which will prepare and train the next generation of offshore oil and gas workers, will be the second facility at Fletcher’s new campus development which is next door to BP’s Houma Operations Learning Center.

“I am excited to announce this gift of $4 million to the Fletcher Foundation to build a new state-of-the-art classroom and facility to train petrotechnical workers to fill the ever-increasing demand for skilled workers in the industry,” said James Dupree, regional president for BP’s Gulf of Mexico business.

The proposed new facility will house a 4,000 square foot state of the art training laboratory, classrooms and offices for Fletcher’s Integrated Production Technology Program.

BP updates Gulf restoration activity in new television ad

BP has launched a new nationwide television advertising campaign to update the American people on progress being made to clean up and restore the Gulf Coast region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident.

It comes as the cleanup phase of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill response is nearing completion and the first set of early restoration projects is preparing to move forward.

“We made a commitment not only to restore the Gulf, but also to keep the American people informed of that effort,” said Geoff Morrell, BP America’s vice president for communications. “We’ve made significant strides over the past year and believe it’s a good time to provide a progress report to the nation.”

The new advertisement can be viewed here.

Gulf seafood and tourism in spotlight

With the Allstate BCS Sugar Bowl as a backdrop, BP and Gulf Coast tourism and seafood officials launched the Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash to celebrate Gulf Coast seafood, culture and tourism through special events and promotions throughout New Orleans.

View video of Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash.

BP’s ‘Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash’ offers fresh seafood, vacation contest

New Orleans – In addition to having great football this January with the Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship, New Orleans is also having great seafood – thanks to BP’s Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash.

BP created the event in partnership with Gulf Coast tourism planners as a way to celebrate Gulf Coast culture, seafood and tourism – and to maximize exposure the region receives during the two bowl games in New Orleans.

“We're working with the Gulf Coast's seafood and tourism industries to spotlight two of the best things about this unique region," said Crystal Ashby, BP executive vice president of government and public affairs. “Together, we want to deliver a clear message that the Gulf's beaches, restaurants, fishing and attractions provide unsurpassed vacation experiences.”

Read the full story

New Orleans welcomes BCS Championship with "Peacemaker po' boys"

Legendary quarterbacks Ken Stabler of Alabama and Bert Jones of LSU share a ceremonial 30-foot "Peacemaker po' boy" as part of the Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash presented by BP. New Orleans chefs teamed up to bring together Louisiana shrimp and Alabama oysters in celebration of the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship.

View more photos of the Gulf Coast Seafood and Tourism Bash. Read more about the Gulf Coast Seafood and Tourism Bash.

Initial early restoration projects selected for Louisiana

State and federal Trustees unveiled the first set of early environmental restoration projects that are proposed for funding under the landmark agreement BP signed with the Trustees in April 2011. The eight proposed projects are located in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. The two proposed initial Louisiana projects are:

Louisiana Lake Hermitage Marsh Project will create 104 acres of marsh within the Barataria Hydrologic Basin in Plaquemines Parish. Sediment will be dredged from the Mississippi River and pumped via pipeline to the project area where native vegetation will be planted. The project is a beneficial addition to an existing state approved project.

Louisiana Oyster Cultch Project will provide 850 acres of productive oyster cultch habitat on public oyster seed grounds in six locations in coastal Louisiana. In addition, improvements will be made to an existing oyster hatchery on Grand Isle, which will produce larvae to be released over the cultch material, stimulating a successful and rapid re-seeding of these areas with oysters.

Going home: Sea turtles released into the Gulf

“It feels wonderful, just wonderful, to see them be released and to see them go like they’re supposed to go,” says Dr. Connie Chevis, chief veterinarian for the Institute of Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Mississippi. In the third segment of a special three-part video series, Chevis and other IMMS officials take viewers along as they release 11 sea turtles -- including four equipped with satellite tracking devices -- into the Gulf of Mexico.

View video of Going home: Sea turtles released into the Gulf. Learn more about the work of the IMMS.

Public input sought on restoration plans

NOAA and other federal and state agencies will hold a series of meetings across the Gulf coast to get public input on what types of restoration should be undertaken to compensate for impacts to natural resources that were exposed to oil from the Deepwater BP oil spill. To view the full schedule, click here.

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