Lunch & Learn June 18, 2020

It is that time of the year again! Our second Lunch & Learn of 2020 will be held (as scheduled) next Thursday June 18, 2020 from 12-1 PM. As with most meetings nowadays, next week’s meeting will be conducted using Zoom. You will need to pre-register for the Zoom meeting in order to attend. Please follow the instructions below. You will receive the meeting link after you register.

The focus of next week’s meeting is something that we should all be very concerned about: funding for coastal projects! ASBPA Central Gulf Coast Chapter Board of Directors member Jack Koban (FUGRO) and former Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana) will be talking about GOMESA funding and the efforts of the GOMESA Revenue Sharing Commission to lift the revenue sharing cap that limits the amount of funds sent to the energy-producing gulf states for coastal projects. Since 2006, the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) has provided the energy-producing states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama with critical funding for coastal restoration and protection projects through the sharing of royalties generated by offshore oil & gas leases. In 2019, coastal stakeholders from these 4 states formed the GOMESA Revenue Sharing Coalition to advocate for the protection of these funds, elimination of the current cap, and for an increase in the overall percentage of lease revenue that goes back to fund coastal restoration. The nation depends upon the Gulf Coast for energy security and independence, and in turn, we depend on the funding provided by GOMESA sustainability and in some cases, their very existence of our coastal environments and communities. We encourage you to attend this Lunch & Learn on June 18, 2020 where we’ll provide a brief history of GOMESA and offer current news on an important piece of legislation described below.

Lunch & Learn Zoom Information

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 18, 2020 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://southalabama.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYqcOGvqz0vG9CANwGNYCgL8-uaSV-E5wLR

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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We acknowledge that there are a lot of monumental events happening in our society right now. While it may seem insensitive to describe the importance of GOMESA funding when there are so many other issues deserving of our collective focus, we could really use your help to improve the outlook for GOMESA in years to come. Please read the message below. This information was provided by George Winfrey. George works on coastal issues for the Louisiana Governor’s office.  I am including (below the statement) the phone numbers and web contact pages for your state senators below. If you are so inclined, please use this information to contact your elected officials. I think they are tired of hearing from me… and they have been hearing from me a lot in the past two weeks!

GOMESA BLOCKED BY PROCEDURAL VOTE IN SENATE

NEXT STEPS:

• Yesterday, the Senate adopted procedures, by a vote of 79 – 18, to limit the ability to amend The Great American Outdoors Act, S.3422 (now H.R. 1549 for Senate consideration).  The Majority Leader, Senator McConnell, announced that he will oppose all amendments and invoked procedural moves to block amendments to the bill.

• The Great American Outdoors Act being considered by the Senate does not include GOMESA improvements sought by Senators Cassidy and Kennedy and other gulf coast Senators.

• Voting against this procedural motion were Senators Cassidy, Kennedy, Cruz and Shelby.  Voting for this procedural motion were Senators Cornyn, Wicker and Jones.  Senator Hyde Smith did not vote on the procedural motion. (link to see how Senators voted here)

• Today, proposed amendments to The Great American Outdoors Act can be considered by the Senate but with the Majority Leader pursuing a no amendment strategy and with the procedural votes of yesterday, there is virtually no chance that a GOMESA provision will be added to the bill.

• Final Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act is expected this week or early next week

• Yesterday, during Senate debate, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) made an impassioned plea that the needs of coastal states are being ignored in The Great American Outdoors Act.  He called for a permanent funding program to assist coastal states with coastal conservation, restoration and resiliency.  Senator Whitehouse specifically referenced Louisiana’s coastal loss and the recent article in the Times-Picayune on that subject.  That article references a Tulane University study predicting Louisiana will lose 5800 square miles of coastal wetlands. Senator Whitehouse noted that Senator Cassidy is fighting hard for the Louisiana coast, but nobody is listening. (Link to Senator Whitehouse speech here)

NEXT STEPS AND ACTION REQUEST

• The Great American Outdoors Act will move to the House of Representatives after the Senate vote early next week.  A no amendments strategy can be expected in the House as well.  However, given the urgent issues facing the nation on COVID-19 and policing, there may be an opening for a GOMESA provision being added to The Great American Outdoors Act in the House.

REQUEST

• Contact your Member of Congress about the importance of the gulf states receiving consideration in The Great American Outdoors Act.  The gulf states are experiencing the onshore impacts from the offshore federal activity that is generating the funds being distributed in The Great American Outdoors Act. Yet, the gulf states are receiving no share of these distributed funds for coastal resiliency and restoration.

• Ask your Member to contact Speaker Pelosi or Minority Leader McCarthy to include a provision that lifts the GOMESA cap in the version of The Great American Outdoors Act that is considered by the House.

• Call the White House.  Senator Cassidy has reported publicly that President Trump called him last week to offer support on GOMESA. President Trump said he would help.  While the President did not make public statements of support during Senate debate, the President can still weigh in as debate moves to the House of Representatives.

• The outrage of the gulf states for being overlooked for additional federal funding in this major legislation that allocates OCS revenues must be heard by Congressional Leaders and the President loud and clear. The fight for GOMESA continues. We have lost round one, but there are more opportunities and avenues to win in 2020. Our concerns must be heard!

Call to Action

• Call and/or email Gulf Coast Senate offices and House members to ask them to amend this bill to lift the GOMESA cap.