{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://scalise.house.gov/press-release/scalise-lauds-bp-court-ruling", "Scalise Lauds BP Court Ruling", "2014-09-04", "2014", "2014-09", "Republican", "House", "LA", "Steve Scalise", "S001176", "scalise.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "METAIRIE, LA\u00a0\u2013 House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) today lauded a federal judge\u2019s ruling that BP bears the majority of responsibility for the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.\u00a0This decision is a key step in determining the total amount of fines owed under the Clean Water Act \u2013 80 percent of which will be directed to\u00a0Gulf Coast states for the purposes of ecosystem and economic recovery.\n\u201cToday\u2019s ruling is a crucial step forward as we work to secure RESTORE Act funds for the people of Louisiana,\u201d Scalise said. \u201cI'm encouraged that Judge Barbier agrees that BP was grossly negligent in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and it is time for BP to reach an agreement that allows the families and communities affected to finally repair the damage that was done. The people of south Louisiana have waited long enough. I urge the court to move forward in an expeditious manner so that Gulf States like Louisiana can restore our coast, as we established in the RESTORE Act passed by Congress.\u201d\nIn a ruling released today, U.S. Circuit Judge Carl Barbier determined BP to bear the majority of responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April 2010, citing their \u201cgross negligence\u201d and \u201creckless\u201d practices in the lead up to the spill.\u00a0Under the Clean Water Act, BP may now face fines up to $4,300 per barrel of spilled oil totaling $17.6 billion in fines.\nLast month,\u00a0the\u00a0U.S. Treasury Department issued an Interim Final Rule allowing for Gulf Coast states, including Louisiana, to begin\u00a0applying for grants from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. Scalise also met with members of the Coalition for Coastal Resilience &\u00a0Economy to discuss effective ways Louisiana can best implement coastal restoration projects throughout Louisiana when utilizing the RESTORE Act funds.\u00a0\nSpecifically, the RESTORE Act, which Scalise championed through the U.S. House of Representatives and was then signed into law July 6, 2012,\u00a0directs 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster to Gulf Coast states for the purposes of ecosystem and economic recovery. Earlier this year, Scalise joined his Louisiana congressional colleagues Senator David Vitter and Congressman Bill Cassidy to\u00a0push\u00a0U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew to expedite the\u00a0rule-making process so that RESTORE funds could be disbursed quickly.\u00a0In November of 2013, Scalise submitted comments to the U.S. Treasury on the proposed regulations governing the use of RESTORE funds. On the one-year anniversary of the passage of the RESTORE Act, Scalise authored an\u00a0op-ed\u00a0emphasizing the importance of specifically utilizing these funds for the purpose of preserving eroding wetlands and coastline.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://scalise.house.gov/press-release/scalise-lauds-bp-court-ruling"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0483181104063988, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}