SPANISH FORT, Ala. — The Alabama Coastal Recovery Commission delivered Wednesday its 198-page analysis of the anticipated fallout from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill while offering recommendations for protecting the region against future disasters, both manmade and natural.

Ricky Mathews, appointed by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to chair the commission in September, called the final product a “helluva report.”

“It put together so many passionate people. It sets a course that I think will really change coastal Alabama,” said Mathews as “A Roadmap to Resilience” made its public debut at the Old House Chamber in the state Capitol.

Mathews led similar efforts in Mississippi following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and said several key themes recurred throughout the coastal recovery plan’s creation, including:

r The strength of the area as a unified region rather than competing municipalities.

r The need to empower a strategic, committed coastal leadership contingent.

r The lives and businesses affected reside along the Gulf of Mexico, not the “Gulf of Alabama.”

“We need to get more bang for our buck,” Mathews said, appealing for cooperation among all five Gulf states affected by the spill to maximize restoration results.

The plan requests — among more than 270 proposals listed in no particular order — the creation of a position reporting directly to the governor who will focus exclusively on ongoing oil spill response.

The plan addresses — broadly — the need to resolve ongoing complaints with the claims process, direct anticipated BP PLC funds to the hardest-hit communities and restore public faith in both Gulf tourist attractions and products. The London-based oil company has accepted responsibility for the April 20 explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that spawned a four-month spill.

While some recommendations — such as coastal-insurance reform and the construction of a new convention near Gulf State Park — are more specific than others, the plan does not specify mechanisms for funding any of the suggestions or even prioritize their importance, citing the uncertainty of either the total amount of funds expected from BP once federal fines are levied or a timeline for their receipt.

Riley formed the commission by executive order Sept. 27, imploring  the cooperative identification of the oil spill’s short- and long-term economic, environmental and social effects not just on Mobile and Baldwin counties, but across the entire state which draws 20 percent of its annual general fund revenue from those two coastal counties.

“As we started to try to comprehend just how vast this oil spill could be and the ramifications it could have for tourism and marine life, we began to determine we can’t possibly know the long-term effects. We did know we were dealing with a community with a level of resilience unlike any other that has been tested time and time again,” said Riley.

The 80-plus-member commission already announced Oct. 26 a formal request of Riley to create by executive order the Alabama Gulf Fisheries Marketing and Promotion Board that he established by executive order Wednesday. The body will bridge the gap between research affirming the safety of Gulf seafood and marketing measures to communicate that safety effectively to residents, visitors and consumers.

The plan, drafted in less than three months, culled the input of more than 1,000 residents statewide and enlisted the acumen of more than 600 business and civic leaders to outline implementation strategies.

“(They) coalesced around the thought of building something significantly different than anything they have had before,” Riley said of the unprecedented cooperation exhibited across Baldwin and Mobile counties. “For the first time, we put Friday night football to the side, and said we’re going to work together,” Riley said.

And while the governor had envisioned only a “pamphlet” of sorts to pass along to future administrations, he said, “what we got was one of the most carefully thought out, well-written summaries of coastal life and the environment and a way to enhance it that gives you options very few people could have imagined.”

Riley was joined at the announcement in Montgomery by Gov.-elect Robert Bentley, who takes office Jan. 17 and will be charged with implementing the plan unveiled today.

Bentley said while the very concept of “coastal recovery” acknowledges the hardship that has befallen the region and the state, it also implies optimism and action.

“We’re seeing a tragedy that’s taking place, but we see hope,” he said. “We should never forget that in all of this we’re doing, it is important to take care of our economy, it’s important we take care of our environment — and I am an environmentalist — but we never should forget that what we’re dealing with are the lives of people.”