Before we start jumping for joy over this new oil field found just 270 miles southwest of Louisiana, let’s take a minute to think about what this actually means for Louisiana.
Louisiana only receives tax revenues from oil that is taken up to three miles off our coast. This oil field is located 175 miles off the coast. Therefore, Louisiana will most likely never see tax revenue from this discovery.
The unjust part of this is that all of the supplies for this field, including everything from the actually rigs that go out there to the food that the workers need, goes through Port Fourchon, La. The oil companies are relying on Port Fourchon’s waterways, roads , and land, yet the port sees none of the money that comes in.
Now, we’ve all heard of a little thing called coastal erosion.; Iif you haven’t, then shame on you. But when we talk about coastal erosion, we are talking specifically about places just like Port Fourchon. The port is located on a barrier island off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is losing land at an incredible rate.
This land loss is due in large part to the exploration for oil that has been taking place since 1900. Oil companies dredged manmade canals that toren up our wetlands, which greatly accelerated the erosion that had alreadys occurred.
Although these companies are not nearly as devastating in their practices today, America’s WETLANDwetlands are still very much in a state of crisis for the damage that was done in the past.
“This latest development reinforces the importance of our state receiving our fair share of the offshore revenue sharing to protect the communities that are being called upon to support this activity and upgrade the support infrastructure required to get this energy to the consumer,” says Port Fourchon Director Ted Falgout.
America’s WETLANDwetlands are absolutely invaluable to Louisiana in that they serve as a natural bluffer for hurricanes.
According to the America’s WETLAND Web site, the Army Corps of Engineers has conducted scientific studies that indicate that for every 2.7 miles of wetlands, hurricanes loose a foot of storm surges.
The wWeb site also says that $103 billion in assets will experience increased flood risks if we continue to loose land at this rate.
The bottom line is that America needs Louisiana’s resources, yet in a time of crisis America is not willing to step up and help us out.
