U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary

Stephanie Hanna (202)208-6416


For Release: October 8, 1996

Five years after the creation of the Exxon Valdez restoration fund, Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Under Secretary of Agriculture Jim Lyons, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Doug Hall, and Assistant Secretary of the Interior George Frampton will provide an update on Thursday, October 10, about land acquisitions for habitat protection and scientific research activities that have taken place or are now underway . Molly McCammon, executive director of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council that administers the Restoration Fund, will also participate in Friday's briefing. More than $400 million has been committed to these efforts over a ten-year period, making it the largest habitat restoration program in the United States to date. "Out of the horror of Alaska's dark days following the Exxon Valdez catastrophe in Prince William Sound, there have been very significant and remarkable land parcels that have been purchased for all Americans to offset some of the environmental damage done," Secretary Babbitt said. "The Trustee Council has embarked on a process of collaboration that allows local communities, Alaska Native Corporations, interested citizens and organizations to participate in this lasting legacy to environmental restoration. At the same time, long-term scientific research and monitoring will assist both commercial activities affected by the spill and people everywhere who need to study the slow recovery of an arctic ecosystem from such a devastating blow."

Thursday's briefing will be held in Room 5160 of the Main Interior Building, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington D.C., beginning at 10:30 a.m. If scheduling conflicts prevent Secretary Babbitt from attending the briefing, he will participate by telephone.

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