Thursday, July 19, 2018 the U.S. House of Representatives passed a government funding bill for the Department of Interior and related agencies, which includes an amendment from Congressman Bradley Byrne, R-Montrose, to protect a critical funding source for Gulf Coast states, including Alabama.
“For those that don’t know, GOMESA calls for a revenue sharing agreement between the federal government and four Gulf states – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama,” Byrne said. “The program is designed to split up revenue from selected oil and gas lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico.”
This year alone, the State of Alabama received $21 million under GOMESA. An additional $2.47 million went to Baldwin County and $2.88 million to Mobile County.
“The unique thing about GOMESA is it ensures appropriate funding for the coastal areas that provide the workforce, assume the environmental risk, build much of the infrastructure, and support the offshore oil and gas industry,” Byrne said. “It only makes sense that the coastal areas should receive an adequate share of the revenue.”
“Previously, there have been administrative efforts to direct the money away from the Gulf states and instead devote the resources to national projects,” Byrne continued. “While I appreciate the Trump Administration not including any such proposal in this year’s budget, I still believe it is important for Congress to send a clear, bipartisan message that we do not support moving GOMESA funds away from the Gulf Coast.”
The Trump Administration’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal maintained the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funding. GOMESA was passed by Congress in 2006. It set up revenue sharing for Gulf States for income generated by oil and gas leasing in certain offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, Gulf states whose coastal environments are impacted by oil and gas infrastructure such as pipelines and navigation canals receive a fraction of the total federal revenue to help offset some of those impacts.
The amendment was adopted by a unanimous voice vote. The bill passed by a vote of 217 to 199.
The legislation now goes on to the Senate for its consideration.
Congressman Bradley Byrne represents Alabama’s First Congressional District.
