SUCCESSFUL NATURAL RESOURCE DAMAGE CLAIM FOR A COASTAL OIL SPIL1

Abstract

ABSTRACT In September 1987 a consent order was signed providing a damage settlement of $1.2 million to the U.S. government and the States of Georgia and South Carolina for an oil spill at Savannah, Georgia. This settlement, which included funds for injuries to fish and wildlife resources at Savannah National Wildlife Refuge and adjoining areas in the lower Savannah River, was reached through a cooperative natural resource damage assessment using the U.S. Department of the Interior's Natural Resource Damage Assessment Regulations. This paper describes this first and successful implementation of the damage assessment regulations and provides guidance for their future use in support of natural resource damage claims.