Louisiana trustees select two Deepwater Horizon restoration projects costing about $265.7 million

Louisiana's Deepwater Horizon trustees have selected two coastal projects estimated to cost about $265.7 million to help restore wetlands, coastal and nearshore habitats injured by the oil spill, according to a notice published on Oct 14.

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (Louisiana TIG) issued the Final Phase 2 Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #8.1 and a Finding of No Significant Impact. The plan selects the East Orleans Landbridge Restoration Project and the Raccoon Island Restoration Project for funding and implementation, according to the notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

For the East Orleans Landbridge, the preferred design would dredge about 5.0 million cubic yards of sediment from a nearby inland borrow source. The sediment would restore up to 1,320 acres of a wetland complex.

For Raccoon Island, the preferred design would dredge about 2.9 million cubic yards of sand from an offshore borrow source to restore up to 410 acres of barrier island habitat.

Funding would come from the Wetlands, Coastal, and Nearshore Habitats Restoration Type allocation, according to the notice. The notice said additional restoration planning in the Louisiana TIG will continue.

The group published a draft of the plan on May 18, 2026, for a 30-day public review, held a public webinar on June 8 and accepted comments through June 17. An earlier plan, RP/EA #8, selected both projects for initial engineering and design funding.

On April 4, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana entered a Consent Decree resolving civil claims by the trustees against BP.