Copyright 2000 The Times-Picayune Publishing Co.
The Times-Picayune
July 28, 2000 Friday, ORLEANS
SECTION: METRO; Pg. B06
LENGTH: 478 words
HEADLINE:
RESTORE MONEY FOR OUR COAST
BODY:
A bill that would
help restore Louisiana's eroding coastline with offshore oil revenue has cleared
its most daunting hurdle, the Senate Energy Committee.
That's an
encouraging victory for our state, which has paid a heavy environmental price
for decades of oil and gas exploration. A steady source of money for coastal
restoration projects is a critical need for a state that is rapidly losing land
to the Gulf of Mexico.
Sen. Mary Landrieu and other supporters of the
Conservation and Reinvestment Act have done an admirable job in
bringing the landmark bill to this point. They have overcome stiff opposition,
especially from Western Republicans who are afraid that the legislation will
fuel more federal land acquisition and who tried their best to kill the bill in
committee.
But even though the legislation is expected to have an easier
time passing the full Senate, the Louisiana delegation has its work cut out.
It's up to them and their allies in other states with a significant offshore oil
activity to restore a greater share of the money to the states that are most
profoundly affected by that industry.
The House version of the bill,
adopted last year, provided a larger share of the $3 billion a year in offshore
oil royalties to Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and California.
Compromises on the Senate side, aimed at getting support from inland
states, spread more of the wealth around. Under the Senate version, Louisiana
would receive $170 million a year for the next 15 years instead of the $300
million a year the House envisioned.
But giving Louisiana and states
like it a bigger cut is the right thing to do.
It's not as though the
bill provides nothing for environmental and conservation needs
elsewhere. Specifically, it would finance the Land and Water
Conservation Fund and provide money for wildlife preservation,
parks and historic preservation.
Sen. Landrieu points out that 80
percent of the offshore revenue comes from leases off Louisiana's coast. Our
state and others with heavy offshore activity have borne the costs of
production, providing roads and other basic systems needed to support the
industry.
Louisiana also has a large share of our nation's coastal
wetlands -- 24 percent -- and 40 percent of the country's salt marshes. Oil and
gas drilling are among the factors that have caused the loss of these crucial
areas.
Coastal wetlands are a national resource, and they deserve
protection. People from other states should be able to understand this, too, as
the matter is debated on the Senate floor and in a House-Senate conference
committee.
Erosion isn't an imaginary threat. Without significant
intervention, South Louisiana faces the loss of land where we work, play and
live.
This isn't a question of who gets a larger slice of pork. It's a
question of whose state is washing away.
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July 28, 2000 
