Top Administration Officials to Tour Delta National Wildlife Refuge

MEDIA ADVISORY: Top Administration Officials to Tour Delta National Wildlife Refuge Salazar, Jackson, Lubchenco and Sutley to review ongoing Gulf restoration efforts Key contact numbers * Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816 * Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511 * Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858 * Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401 Deepwater Horizon Incident Joint Information Center Phone: (713) 323-1670 (713) 323-1671 VENICE, La. - At the direction of the President, tomorrow, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley will tour the Delta National Wildlife Refuge in Venice, Louisiana and the areas affected by the BP oil spill to assess the on-going federal response efforts and to discuss the Administration’s commitment to long-term Gulf Coast restoration and recovery. Portions of the Delta’s 49,000 acres have been closed to the public since April due to the spill but are scheduled to reopen on August 22. The Delta is home to many fish, waterfowl and animals, including endangered and threatened species such as the American alligator, brown pelican, and Arctic peregrine falcon. In the morning, Secretary Salazar, Administrator Jackson, Administrator Lubchenco, and Chair Sutley will participate in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Steering Committee in New Orleans. WHO: Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley Assistant Secretary of Fish and Wildlife Tom Strickland WHAT: Delta National Wildlife Refuge tour and media availability WHEN: Thursday, August 19, 2010 11:45 a.m. CDT - Boat Tour 2:30 p.m. CDT - Press Briefing WHERE: Delta National Wildlife Refuge, 215 Offshore Shipyard Road, Venice, La., 70091 MEDIA: The boat tour of the Wildlife Refuge will be pooled press. The press briefing is open to all credentialed news media. Media unable to attend may join a listen-only teleconference by dialing 1-800-779-9539, access code DELTA.