Secretary Salazar and other Adminstration Officials Review Gulf Restoration

Top federal officials met today with the trustees overseeing the natural resource damage assessment for the Gulf of Mexico to discuss the on-going response efforts to the BP oil spill and to reiterate the Administration's commitment to long-term Gulf Coast restoration and recovery.

The Administration team, including Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco; Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson; and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley also took an airboat tour of the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Venice, Louisiana and nearby areas affected by the BP oil spill.

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Secretary Salazar on his 12th visit to Louisiana observes Delta NWR restoration efforts. Left to right are Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, Secretary Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Secretary Salazar on his 12th visit to Louisiana observes Delta NWR restoration efforts. Left to right are Delta NWR, Refuge Manager Jack Bohannan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, Secretary Salazar, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Delta NWR, Refuge Manager Jack Bohannan, operates an air boat as administration officials observe restoration efforts at the refuge. Left to right are Secretary Salazar, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco, and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Jane Lubchenco shares on observation with Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley. Also pictured; Secretary Salazar and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Secretary Salazar and fellow officials receive a briefing on restoration efforts from Southeast Louisiana Refuge Project Leader Ken Litzenberger. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Administration officials discuss wetland restoration while flying over the Mississippi River Delta, pictured in foreground is Paul Harrison of the Environmental Defense Fund. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Secretary Salazar held a news conference after a tour of Delta NWR. “Though the flow of oil is stopped and the relief well is approaching its final phases, many chapters lie ahead for the recovery and restoration of the Gulf Coast from this oil spill,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Also pictured left to right are Refuge Law Enforcement officer Brett Wehrle, Southeast Louisiana Refuge, Project Leader Ken Litzenberger, FWS Lafayette ES Field Office Project Leader, Jim Boggs and Asst. Secretary DOI Tom Strickland Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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Secretary Salazar also spent time in New Orleans meeting with the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council. Left to right are NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco, Secretary Salazar and Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley. Tami A. Heilemann-DOI

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