Proposal for Oil-Spill Fund Moves to Mississippi House | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Proposal for Oil-Spill Fund Moves to Mississippi House

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton has said the oil spill settlement should be spent on projects to grow the coastal economy.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton has said the oil spill settlement should be spent on projects to grow the coastal economy. Photo by Imani Khayyam.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House will get to debate a bill setting aside $750 million in oil spill economic-damage payments for projects on the Gulf Coast.

The Senate passed Senate Bill 2634 last week but put it on hold. That hold was released Monday, sending the bill to the House for consideration in coming weeks.

The bill would create an account to hold part of the money that BP agreed to give Mississippi for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The payments will be made over 17 years.

Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn of Clinton has said the oil spill settlement should be spent on projects to grow the coastal economy.

Under a multistate lawsuit settlement, BP is paying another $1.5 billion for coastal restoration projects in Mississippi.

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