Federal, state and local government agencies have announced their financial settlement with those responsible for the Cosco Busan oil spill which dumped 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay on November 7, 2007. Read the San Francisco Chronicle article about the settlement.
The settlement agreement requires the owners of the ship to pay $44 million for all the resource damages caused by the oil spill. Of $32.5 million for restoration, less than 50% of the settlement would go towards birds, fish and habitat. With $11.5 million spread thinly among 12 separate restoration projects, the rest would go to recreation. This is out of balance and the bulk of the funds should be directed back to restoring habitat so our overwintering birds and our herring have a real shot at recovery.
Read Baykeeper's press release concerning the settlement.
Read the Draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment (PDF).