Abstract

Building on the tremendous success of the first plan, GOMA released its second plan, the Governors’ Action Plan II for Healthy and Resilient Coasts in 2009. This five-year plan was more aggressive with solutions to address the challenges of the time, including sustaining Gulf economies, improving ecosystem health, mitigating the impacts of climate change, and improving water quality. However, approximately a year later, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occurred and restoration naturally became one of the Gulf’s largest challenges to date. During the course of Action Plan II, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance formalized as a non-profit organization, managed six priority issue teams, and began to administer a large oil spill research program.

The Alliance’s accomplishments resulting from both Action Plan I and Action Plan II are detailed in the Gulf of Mexico Alliance 10-Year Technical Report.