Members of the Command Trustee Council and student visitor meet with seabird ecologists to discuss restoration projects.
CDFW is a designated natural resource trustee, authorized to act on behalf of the public (along with other federal and state trustee agencies) to assess and recover natural resource damages and to plan and implement actions to restore, rehabilitate, replace, or acquire the equivalent of the affected natural resources injured as a result of a discharge of oil or a deleterious substance.
Typically, after a natural resource damage case is settled, a Trustee Council (TC) is established to accomplish restoration goals using funds awarded as a result of the damage claim. The participating Trustees sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that facilitates the coordination and cooperation of the TC.
The TC prepares a draft Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (DARP). This document contains details regarding the spill, impacts to natural resources and their uses, restoration project selection criteria, and descriptions of the proposed restoration projects.
After completion of the draft DARP, the TC notifies the public of its availability for review, and invites the public to submit written comments. A public workshop may be held during the public comment period in order to further encourage public participation. After consideration of all public comment, a final DARP is prepared and projects are implemented.
The TC selects various entities (i.e., private contractors, non-governmental agencies, government agencies) to implement the selected restoration projects, develops scopes of work, manages contracts, and monitors progress of the restoration projects. A final restoration report is prepared following completion of the projects outlined in the final DARP.