BATON ROUGE, La. - Oil rig workers suffering financial hardship because of the federal moratorium on deepwater drilling are urged to apply for a hardship grant offered by the Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation.

The Rig Worker Assistance Fund was established with a $100 million donation from BP. Under an agreement with BP, the program is limited to people who were working aboard 33 deepwater rigs on May 6, when the moratorium began.

Applications will be accepted through Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010. Grant awards will range from $3,000 to $30,000, and grants will be awarded by Oct. 31.

Rig workers who believe they are affected by the moratorium can call (866) 577-8141 or apply online at www.gcrpf.org .

The hotline is staffed Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Gulf Coast Restoration and Protection Foundation was created to help people affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and provide for the long-term sustainability of wildlife in the coastal ecosystem.

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