Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I want to provide some context here. Under the Mineral Leasing Act, States shared in 50 percent of the revenues from production of energy on Federal lands--in the State of Alaska, it is actually 90 percent of the revenues--up until 2006, when we reached a bipartisan agreement to share not 50 percent, not 90 percent, but 37\1/2\ percent of the revenues associated with offshore energy production. 2006. The revenue sharing, in effect, doesn't actually turn on until next year. These funds in the State of Louisiana are dedicated by our constitution to restoring the coast, restoring our coastal wetlands, improving the sustainability of our communities that have been pounded by hurricanes in recent years. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is actually designed to save taxpayers dollars to restore our coastal ecosytem that has been destroyed. And to allow the administration year after year to come in and create this air of uncertainty by attempting to rescind these funds and treating us differently than they treat all the other States that produce onshore is simply bad policy and it creates uncertainty for efforts to restore coastal Louisiana, which has lost 1,900 square miles as a result of Federal actions in the State of Louisiana. I urge adoption of this amendment.”