Alabama Natural Resources

2 Democratic congressman push to strip states' share of offshore oil revenue

WASHINGTON -- The battle lines over offshore revenue sharing with states sharpened Wednesday, with the Republican chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee announcing plans to craft legislation to expand it and the top Democrats on the panel filing legislation to repeal what they call "oil-well welfare" for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas.

"This program amounts to an oil-funded entitlement program for only a few states, a kind of oil-well welfare that drains our U.S. Treasury and chooses the interests of a few over those of all Americans," said Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee.

Markey was joined by Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J., ranking member of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee, in filing legislation to repeal the provision in the 2006 law that provided for revenue sharing from offshore drilling in federal waters with the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas -- beginning in a greater way in 2017.

That provision in the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act was one of the crowning legislative achievements of Sen. Mary Landrieu , D-La., who last week tried , so far to no avail, to get the Senate Energy Committee to agree to move up the date from 2017 to 2015 when the Gulf states would start to receive significant revenue-sharing dollars: 37.5 percent of offshore oil and gas revenues.

Landrieu has portrayed revenue sharing as a matter of simple justice for states that bear the brunt of the environmental damage and other costs of hosting the offshore industry, and that don't get to share the wealth generated in federal waters offshore the way states have with onshore reserves on federal land in their territory.

Now leading members of her party in the House are casting revenue sharing as an irresponsible giveaway.

"Oil fields off of our national coasts do not belong to any one governor or state legislature and should not be used to pad any favored state's budget," Holt said.

Landrieu rejected their arguments.

"Creating a partnership with coastal states to develop offshore energy resources that this country desperately needs will bring more money to the federal treasury, not less," she said, suggesting that "all coastal states, including Massachusetts and New Jersey, should consider what contribution they can make to our country's energy needs, both onshore and offshore."

"Instead of fighting this effort, Rep. Markey should join coastal senators in fighting for the dignity and respect coastal states deserve and to make sure these and other states get treated fairly as this production is increased," she said.

Winston County Natural Resources Council: Alabama Forest Recovery ...

The Alabama Forest Recovery Task Force will hold a series of meetings from July 18-28 to provide information and help for landowners who saw their timber damaged or destroyed in the storms of April 15 & 27. Meetings will include program sessions from state and federal agencies designed to help landowners work through the recovery and clean-up process. The agenda will cover salvage operations, fire and insect damage considerations, reforestation, government assistance, and tax implications.

Alabama natural resources, cut out for business

The natural resources of Alabama, displayed in the exhibit of the Louisville and Nashville railroad company at the southern exposition, Louisville, Kentucky, A complete catalogue, serving as a guide to the exhibit, with notes

Water publications of State agencies, a bibliography of publications on water resources and their management published by the States of the United States : first supplement, 1971-1974

Alabama government & politics

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