2021-0217
INTRODUCED BY: ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL
MATTHEW JEWELL, PARISH PRESIDENT
RESOLUTION NO.
Title
A resolution in support of resuming Federal Offshore Leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Body
WHEREAS, the United States of America Offshore Oil and Gas Program, since its authorization by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), has provided significant energy to help fuel the great economy of America; and,
WHEREAS, the United States of America Offshore Oil and Gas Program, has been very effective in helping America achieve energy security and strengthening our National Security; and,
WHEREAS, the offshore industry and government have collaborated with groups such as the Coastal Conservation Association to create innovative ways to find beneficial cooperation such as the Rigs-to-Reef program, which benefits the recreational fishing community by repurposing obsolete structures of which nearly 600 reefed platforms in the United States Gulf of Mexico are home to almost seven million fish and other critical marine species, enriching marine life; and,
WHEREAS, since its inception the United States of America Offshore Oil and Gas Program is responsible for helping to create hundreds of thousands of jobs with a significant economic impact and has generated hundreds of billions in royalty revenue for the United States Treasury; and,
WHEREAS, the United States Congress in 2020 permanently funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million per year with wide bipartisan support. Relying solely on earnings from federal offshore oil and gas leasing, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has funded more than $4 billion worth of projects since its inception in 1965 for purposes of conservation, recreation, restoration and protection of vital national resources; and,
WHEREAS, since 2006, more than $1 billion, funded exclusively by federal offshore lease revenues, has been disbursed to four Gulf energy-producing states through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Se...
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