[StBernard] Governor decries lack of action on OCS vote

[Westley Annis]

Governor's statement on lack of OCS vote

"I am very disappointed that the Republican leadership in the U.S.House of Representatives made the decision today to pull from the calendar a bill that would share oil and gas revenues with Louisiana. They failed to muster the votes to pass the legislation and Louisiana could pay the price. Our delegation, especially Senator Landrieu, has worked hard to shepherd this landmark legislation through the Congress and, unfortunately, time is running out in the lame duck session. .

"I understand there may be attempts to attach such legislation to another bill being voted on later this week, and I hope our delegation is successful with this effort. I must reiterate to the Members of Congress, most of whom shared the nation's desire to put Louisiana back on its feet after the devastating storms of 2005: There is no more important vote the Congress could make as a critical step in helping our state restore its collapsing coastal landscape and protect our communities that make the offshore production possible for the rest of our nation.

We in Louisiana have taken the right action; we created the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority that just released the first draft of a comprehensive coastal protection plan, we passed levee reform legislation, we passed a constitutional amendment to dedicate OCS revenues to the protection and restoration of our coast.

As Governor, I will continue to fight for our coast. I will continue to fight for our voice to be heard by the Federal Government - as I did this year in Federal Court. I will continue to push the Congress to dedicate revenues to the protection and restoration of our coast. Failure is not an option, and the lack of action by Congress today will not be the last word for Louisiana."


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