House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) praised an announcement on Thursday by the U.S. Department of the Interior that Louisiana would receive nearly $95 million in energy revenue sharing funding that will be used to protect the state’s coast.
“Today’s announcement is welcome news for Louisiana families and communities,” U.S. Rep. Scalise said. “Revenues from oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico are vital to restoring our coast and protecting coastal communities, which is why I’ve fought to protect this revenue sharing from attempts to raid it.”
Under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) of 2006, Louisiana and other oil and gas-producing gulf states receive a portion of the revenue generated from oil and gas production offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.
Louisiana will receive $94.7 million in revenue-sharing funding in fiscal year 2019, an increase over the prior year. The funds will be used to support coastal conservation and restoration projects and hurricane protection programs.
Rep. Scalise said he would continue fighting for Louisiana’s fair share of funding.
“American energy dominance will play an increasing role in the revenue sharing dollars coming to Louisiana, and I look forward to working with President Trump to support a robust energy strategy in the Gulf of Mexico which allows us to better protect the coast we love. I will also continue fighting every day to equalize the revenue sharing from offshore production with that from onshore drilling so that we can finally get our fair share of energy revenues generated off our coast.”
Local government leaders also praised the energy revenue disbursement and Rep. Scalise’s work in securing it.
“I want to commend Congressman Scalise on his continued work to increase investments for the future of Plaquemines Parish and the State of Louisiana,” said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. ”These revenue dollars are important to making the long term investments we’ll need to restore our coast, keep our communities safe, and protect our unique culture and way of life.”