Hurricane Recovery and Coastal Restoration

Hurricane Katrina and the numerous natural disasters that have caused destruction to our state since have reminded us how important levee protection is to our area and underscored the critical role of our coastal wetlands.

Louisiana is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, including nearly half of the coastal wetlands of the lower 48 states. But this resource is disappearing at a rapid rate. Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands to erosion every hour and more than 16 square miles of coastline a year.

This is alarming, especially since these wetlands are Louisiana's first line of defense against powerful Gulf storms. Congressman Scalise has been a long-time proponent of comprehensive hurricane and flood protection as well as coastal restoration efforts.

The Importance of Offshore Revenue Sharing to Louisiana

Louisiana alone produces a quarter of America's domestic oil and gas supply. With the passage of GOMESA in 2006, Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states have been patiently waiting to receive a portion of the revenues generated from offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 2017, these states were slated to begin receiving this funding. Voters in Louisiana overwhelmingly voted to pass a Constitutional amendment in 2006 dedicating GOMESA funds to coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects. In order to increase the revenue that Louisiana will receive for coastal restoration, Congressman Scalise recently worked with Sen. Cassidy to secure a provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to lift revenue sharing caps.

This legislation, which was signed into law in December 2017, provides new funding for coastal restoration and hurricane protection. Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, revenue sharing for Gulf States would be increased by $300 million, and Louisiana should expect to receive at least $100 million of that funding to restore our coast and protect against future storms. This is a landmark victory for coastal restoration and puts down an important marker for future increases in Louisiana’s revenue sharing.

Congressman Scalise will continue leading the effort in the U.S. House to provide Louisiana with its fair share of offshore revenues and finally make the critical investments necessary to restore our vanishing coast.

Focusing on Hurricane Recovery, FEMA Reform, and Effective Disaster Preparation

Over the course of 2017, our country was ravaged by a number of natural disasters. In order to help those in need and provide necessary reforms for disaster mitigation and recovery, Congress passed a disaster relief package in early 2018. This disaster relief package contained funding to increase hurricane protection and mitigation projects vital to the safety of the economy of our coastal communities, including those in Louisiana. Additionally, the package included major reforms to FEMA recovery, including the elimination of the duplication of benefits ban that has prevented many in Louisiana from receiving grant funding for flood recovery. Other provisions in the legislation will help communities mitigate and become more resilient to disasters.

For more information concerning Congressman Scalise's work and views on Coastal Restoration, Flood Protection and Hurricane Recovery issues, please contact his Washington, DC office.