Update: Last week the Justice Department announced a $20.8 billion settlement with BP for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. And while this is the biggest pollution settlement in history, the United Houma Nation won't see a cent. Donate here to help the Houma continue their fight for federal recognition and justice.

Friend,

Last week the Justice Department announced a $20.8 billion settlement with BP over the oil spill that unleashed 210 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.¹ While this was the largest pollution settlement in U.S. history, the United Houma Nation (UNH), who were hit by the worst of the spill, won't see one cent and can't even sue BP because they are not federally recognized.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch referred to the settlement as, "a major step forward in our effort to deliver justice to the gulf region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon tragedy."² But for UNH, and many others, who still experience oil mats and tar balls that wash ashore near their homes, a devastated fishing industry and a loss of their land at a rate of 16 square miles per year due to drilling and erosion,³ justice has definitely not been delivered.

UNH are a resilient and proud nation. As their Principal Chief, Thomas Dardar, recently remarked, "The context now is very different from what it was nearly 35 years ago when the tribe first made its petition to the federal government."³ He's hopeful that renewed efforts will help the tribe win the recognition it deserves and needs to build a resilient future. But in order to do this, the Houma needs our help.

The Houma need money to hire lawyer and get their representatives to Washington D.C., so they can argue their case before the Department of Interior. And they need the resources in a hurry, before all the BP settlement money is spent and gone. Can you chip in to help UHN get to the finish line of justice before it's too late?

Today, many cities across the country including Seattle, Portland, Albuquerque and St. Paul are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day in lieu of Columbus Day.⁴ The idea is to recognize the vast genocide and enslavement of native people that followed Columbus' arrival. And it's also a day to recognize the very modern injustices that still plague indigenous and native peoples across our continent. I can't think of a better day to stand with the UNH than Indigenous people's day -- when all of our first-citizens are honored.

Thomas Aquinas said, "To bear with patience wrongs done to oneself is a mark of perfection, but to bear with patience wrongs done to someone else is a mark of imperfection and even of actual sin." The Houma have shown patience for 35 years and need our help to right the sins of our nation's past and the present.

With your help we can show them the true meaning of Indigenous Peoples Day, by having their backs and getting them the justice they deserve. Please click here to help the Houma Nation get justice and victory.

Thank You so much for your support,

Anthony and the Environmental Action Gulf Coast Freedom Fighters 

1. Barret, Devlin. U.S., BP Finalize $20.8 Billion Deepwater Horizon Oil Settlement. Wall Street Journal. October 5, 2015.

2. Davenport, Coral and Scwartz, John. BP Settlement in Gulf Oil Spill Is Raised to $20.8 Billion. The New York Times. October 5, 2015.

3. Yee, Allie. Louisiana Tribe Renews Fight for Federal Recognition in the Face of Sinking Lands and Environmental Disasters. Facing South. April 23, 2015.

4. Baer, Drake. Columbus Day Is Becoming 'Indigenous Peoples Day' In Many American Cities. Tech Insider. October 12, 2015.

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