WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News LeaderPanhandle Lawmakers Pushing The Restore Act

We're nearing the two year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As the government prepares to levy fines against BP, Panhandle officials are urging Washington lawmakers to pass the Restore Act. The act would send a big chunk of money from BP fines and penalties to the Gulf coast.

Commissioner Cecilia Jones was just one of 8 Panhandle representatives that made a trip up North to plead their case.

"There's oil out there still we know, and it's gotta go somewhere, so we're hoping it wont come on our coast, but then we have to plan in case it does," said commissioner Jones.

Those long term concerns are what helped to spark the 'Restore Act', an attempt by the Gulf States to obtain what they feel is rightfully theirs.

"We went to Washington last week to meet with our legislators about the restore bill," Jones said. "The restore bill is actually taking the BP fine money and giving it back to the affected counties."

That fine money could total up to $20 billion. Without the Restore Act however, officials say the affected areas would never see the money.

"It goes into the federal government, their budget, and they have complete control over it," said Jason Catalano, commissioner Jones' aide who accompanied her to Washington. "The odds are we'll see little to no actual dollars from the fines."

Under the act, 80% of the money would be split across the five gulf states - Florida, Texas Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Walton has a few projects they would use their share on.

"We came up with a fish hatchery and a plant hatchery that would benefit," Commissioner Jones. "There's a part in there to that speaks to research and the long term effects."

The 20 representatives are looking for support from lawmakers and the public, trying to remind them that the oil spill is not exactly a distant memory.

"When it was going on and you had the video camera there on the Gulf floor, and people just saw the oil coming up, it was all on the news and people understood," Catalano said. "Going on two years later, out of sight, out of mind."