How to distribute the funds from the BP oil spill settlement has been a long debated question and lawmakers are trying to figure it out before the end of the session.
The bill that legislators are currently working on in conference deals with how the money would be spent, as well as, the split of where the money will go across the state. Representative Scott DeLano said that this gives them the opportunity to start the planning process to determine what is the best investment for the economic damages money.
RELATED: Senate passes bill, BP oil money to go to coast
“People think that there is a long list of projects that are ready to be funded,” DeLano said. “I don’t seee it that way. I think that the projects that will end up being funded have not been presented to us yet. I think that by a passage of a bill it sets forward the process by which the projects will be vetted to make sure that we have the best return as possible on any investment.”
The state has currently received between $125 and $150 million of the total $750 million settlement.
