Walton County Commission Chairman Scott Brannon, Commissioner Cecilia Jones and South Walton Tourist Development Council (TDC) Executive Director Dawn Moliterno, traveled to Washington D.C. for the House Committee Hearing on the RESTORE Act held December 7. The group, there to press Congress to quickly approve the measure, met with Florida Congressmen in a show of support for its passage. Sponsored by Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, the RESTORE Act (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunity, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act of 2011; H.R. 3096) provides for 80 percent of the estimated $5-$20 billion Clean Water Act fines collected as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to go directly to the five affected Gulf Coast states. Under current law, fines collected go to the U.S. Treasury, leaving further environmental and economic efforts associated with the spill unfunded. “Passing the RESTORE Act would have an immediate, noticeable impact on Walton County,” said Commission Chairman Brannon. “Florida could receive anywhere from $850 million to $2.85 billion as the result of this measure, with Walton County receiving roughly 10 percent of those funds for projects related to environmental and economic restoration.” Florida Representatives Jeff Miller of District 1 (R-Chumuckla) and Steve Southerland of District 2 (R-Panama City) co-sponsored the measure and testified before Congress regarding the importance of RESTORE funding to Northwest Florida and Walton County, with Representative Miller noting in his testimony that “the Restore act fixes the imbalance by creating a way to rebuild local and state economies that took such a tremendous hit from the oil spill … This damage took place along the Gulf Coast and fines paid for the damage should be returned to the Gulf Coast.” “After meeting with our representatives in Washington and hearing their testimony, I’m convinced they are doing their best to make sure these funds are allocated directly to victims of the oil spill,” noted Commissioner Jones. “Our meetings underscored the importance of passing this legislation.” Added the TDC’s Moliterno, “Although we experienced a very successful tourism season this year, 2010 was devastating to many South Walton businesses. Proper allocation of these funds is crucial to Walton County’s complete recovery.” The deadline for passage of the measure is July 2012; otherwise, RESTORE Act funding will revert to the Treasury’s general fund, with no recourse for further action. While in Washington, Walton County officials also met with Representatives regarding the federal highway bill. Considered once every six years, the highway bill is the primary spending measure that determines the level of funding for roads and transportation infrastructure nationwide. In March 2010, Walton County officials worked with Representative Southerland to carefully craft language highlighting the importance of Highway 331 as a major evacuation route for residents and tourists in numbers that far exceed Walton County’s population numbers. Since that time, local officials have worked with Northwest Florida’s Congressional delegation to ensure full support for the evacuation language, which could lead to millions of dollars in improvements along Highway 331. “We were pleased to learn that the Transportation Committee’s policy staff are supportive of the evacuation language in the bill,” said Commissioner Brannon. “Passage of this bill will go a long way toward improving the safety of Walton County residents and visitors.” Commissioner Jones added that “we should continue our efforts to press for support of this important initiative while we have the momentum.” The Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman John Mica, is expected to make a final decision on inclusion of the language in the bill by late January 2012.
