[StBernard] Governor's statement on House passage of Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2006

[Westley Annis]

Governor's statement on House passage of Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2006 


"I am pleased that the Congress is listening to Louisiana. Today the U.S. House of Representatives has taken a step closer to sharing offshore oil and gas revenues with coastal producing states by passing the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act of 2006 (H.R. 4761) Although we may face a tougher battle in the Senate, today is certainly another milestone. I applaud our entire Louisiana House Delegation for pushing this bill through, especially Congressmen Jindal and Melancon who serve on the committee that reported the bill.

"Unfortunately, the White House is opposed to sharing revenues with producing states, causing some Members of Congress to waiver in their support of the legislation. This shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how the failure to reinvest in the vanishing coast of Louisiana and the rest of America's Energy Coast jeopardizes the nation's economy and energy security. This is not just Louisiana's problem, it is a national crisis.

"The long road to enacting laws is made more difficult without support from the White House. This lack of commitment to reinvest in our nation's domestic energy assets compromises the chances of revenue sharing bills to ultimately cross the finish line.

"Louisiana, the nation's number one partner in offshore oil and gas production, cannot continue to support Federal offshore oil and gas leasing and production without a serious commitment from the Federal government to protect and restore these vital assets. This is why I've pledged to take actions to block the upcoming oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf and all future lease sales unless and until such a commitment to our state is made.

"To show how serious the people of Louisiana are about using these funds to protect our coast, I urge you to vote in favor of a constitutional amendment this fall to dedicate all Federal offshore revenues solely to the protection and restoration of our coast. When we pass this amendment, we'll then be able to announce to the nation and to the Congress that this money will not be wasted. The proper reinvestment in our working energy coast will protect our communities, bolster our national economy and secure our domestic energy supply." 

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's People www.louisianahelp.org