The Gulf Coast Restoration Plan Needs To Support Health and Environmental Research

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provided an unprecedented level of funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ($8.2 billion) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) ($3 billion) to help stimulate the US economy through the support and advancement of scientific research. A similar boost to NIH and NSF funding should be part of the Gulf Coast Restoration Plan proposed by President Obama on June 15, 2010. Funds provided to NIH could be used to support meritorious research programs that will study expected deleterious impacts of petroleum contamination on the health of Gulf coast residents. NSF funds could be used to support high-return, innovative research related to bioremediation, habitat restoration and comprehensive studies of the impact of the oil leak on wildlife. Special priorities must be given to those research projects that will stimulate the economy of the Gulf coast region, create or retain jobs, and have the potential for making rapid scientific progress.