State and Federal Agencies Request Funding to More Fully Assess Injuries to Natural Resources from the April 2002 Oil Spill that Impacted the Rouge and Detroit Rivers and to Plan for Restoration to Address Those Injuries

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality and the Michigan Attorney General are working together as Trustees for natural resources impacted by the major oil spill in the Rouge and Detroit Rivers that occurred in April of 2002. The Trustees recently requested funding to develop a claim for damages to natural resources that resulted from the spill because no parties responsible for the spill have been identified through investigations by the Environmental Crimes Task Force. Normally, the Trustees would request such funding from the responsible parties, but in cases like this, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund (Fund) can provide funding to Trustees to determine the amounts and types of restoration necessary to address injuries to natural resources. Once the Trustees have made these determinations, they can then request funding from the Fund to implement restorations if a responsible party still has not been found.

If the Trustees receive funding to begin refining estimates of injuries from the spill and planning for restoration, they will provide the public with additional details on how they propose to evaluate injuries and determine the type and scale of potential restoration actions to be taken. The Trustees will also seek public input, review, and comments on any proposed restoration actions.