More funds sought for coastal project
Published 6:00 pm Saturday, November 2, 2019
Louisiana residents should be proud of how determined state and federal officials are in trying to secure more money to protect the already-damaged coastline.
Federal lawmakers who represent Louisiana are scrambling to get legislation approved that would provide Gulf Coast states with more dollars from oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Officials have said it is needed to afford critical coastal restoration and protection projects.
There’s good reason for the urgency: funding for the federal government is set to expire Nov. 21.
Chip Kline, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority chairman, visited Washington, D.C., last week to lobby for the cause. Joining him were officials from local government and the private sector, all representing the Gulf Coast.
The issue lies with Louisiana and other Gulf states getting roughly 37.5 percent of funding from offshore drilling. At the same time, states that produce energy on land get 50 percent of the money earned.
Why is there a disparity in funding? Roughly 12.5 percent of the offshore production revenue goes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which benefits national parks and forests.
Meanwhile, revenue from energy production on land isn’t skimmed off the top. Also, offshore oil and gas leases have generated more money than leases on land.
Kline has stressed that the Gulf Coast states must form a united front to get something done. Strength in numbers is important, especially when trying to get anything accomplished on the federal level.
The effort appears to be making some headway. Kline told The Advocate that congressmen now are “more sympathetic” on the issue than in past years.
It’s time for Louisiana and other states along the Gulf of Mexico to be on equal footing when it comes to the amount of money received from oil and gas production. Congress needs to understand how important coastal protection is for the Gulf region.
The clock is ticking to get something done.
In this file photo, sand is pumped out of a pipeline as part of a coastal restoration and protection project at Holly Beach.
