Imagine a republican and democrat agreeing on something especially when one is Scalise. But when it comes to money for this state they are in agreement. This is a joint opinion piece.
Louisiana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, especially in the Gulf waters off our coast. Our state is a leading exporter and a top producer of our nation’s energy supply, handles more than 500 million tons of cargo through our ports on the Mississippi River and pulls in close to one billion pounds of seafood annually. Our coastline is the first line of defense against powerful Gulf storms. Restoring our coast from the dangers of erosion is both a necessary investment in Louisiana today, and in our future. Louisiana receives funding each year from offshore energy production that directly contributes to vital coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects, which provide greater security for our coastal communities. For years, however, we’ve lagged behind interior states that receive far greater funding from energy leases on public lands. We may not agree on everything, but we are united in our belief that Louisianians deserve their fair share of funding for the use of our natural resources. That’s why we’ve joined together to introduce the bipartisan BREEZE Act. Our bill increases Louisiana’s share of offshore oil and gas revenues, and sets the stage for even more funding by allowing Louisiana and other coastal states to collect revenues from the leasing of future offshore wind development.
Gulf states get 37% of revenues which are capped. Interior states get 50% which are not capped. This is wrong!
Under current law, Gulf states only receive 37.5% of offshore oil and gas revenues collected by the federal government, and revenues allocated to coastal states are capped. Meanwhile, interior states get 50% of revenues from their energy leases, without being subject to an annual cap like ours in Louisiana. It’s only fair that Louisiana families and communities receive the same percentage of energy revenues generated off our coast. The BREEZE Act corrects this disparity by increasing Gulf states’ share of oil and gas revenues to 50% — matching the interior states’ share — and removes the annual cap. This increase will ensure more funding goes toward our coastline so we can continue to make the major investments in coastal restoration and hurricane protection that our state needs and Louisiana families deserve. Take, for instance, the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection project. Millions of dollars in GOMESA funding were dedicated to completing a vital leg of this project, helping provide much better flood protection to Southeast Louisiana and protecting billions of dollars in economic activity transported through our region.
Wind power is also part of the bill as the Gulf is being looked at for offshore wind farms.
Our bill also establishes a revenue-sharing structure for offshore wind leases in federal waters. As the United States continues to explore renewable energy sources like offshore wind, South Louisiana can become a hub for this growing industry. Studies indicate that Gulf wind power is one of the largest untapped energy sources in the nation, and our state’s existing infrastructure and maritime and service industries put us in a strong position to harness wind energy to grow our economy, generate millions of new dollars to rebuild our coastline and fund more hurricane protection projects. We are perfectly situated to be a national leader in the burgeoning sector of offshore wind, and this bill can help make this vision a reality. However, as new sources of energy are brought online we must create a system that ensures Louisiana receives its fair share of benefits for the resources that we provide America and the world from our lands and waters.
Scalise seems to forget the No votes he cast on positive bills helping the state.
We are proud of the strong and positive impact Louisiana has had on our national economy, our global competitiveness, and American job creation. This bill allows us to equalize the playing field with onshore states, invest early in offshore wind production, and provide hundreds of millions more dollars to restore our coast. We will never stop fighting to ensure Louisiana receives our fair share of offshore revenues to protect the state and coast that we love. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the House minority whip, represents Louisiana’s 1st Congressional District. Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy A Carter, Sr. represents Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District.
Of course having worked for the government I wonder which staffers wrote this.