Ellington

HOUMA, La. (AP) — The committee set up to manage most environmental fines going to the states affected by the BP oil spill of 2010 says it will release its plan July 6.

The Courier (http://bit.ly/Yx0vj2 ) reports that a seven-page document released last week by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council includes a list of projects that would meet the goals of the Restore Act. It also describes how the trust money will be made available over the next 10 years and a three-year project and program priority list.

Environmental groups praised the move as an encouraging first step toward restoring the coast after the 2010 BP spill.

The Restore Act, passed by Congress last year, dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the oil spill to five Gulf Coast states.