On Nov. 5, Louisiana residents will vote on Amendment 1, which aims to direct federal renewable energy revenues towards protecting the state’s vulnerable coast.
The text as it appears on the ballot will read: “Do you support an amendment to require that federal revenues received by the state generated from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewable energy production be deposited into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund?”
As the term is used in the text of the amendment, the Outer Continental Shelf refers to the offshore waters that are controlled by the United States federal government but do not fall under the jurisdiction of individual U.S. states.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund refers to the constitutionally-protected fund that provides for projects to protect Louisiana’s quickly receding coast.
If passed, Amendment 1 would not on its own give Louisiana access to additional sources of funding. Rather, the amendment would dedicate a certain portion of the future revenue Louisiana will receive from OCS renewable energy production to the CPRF.
There is currently no revenue flowing into Louisiana from OCS energy production. But, as KTAL reported earlier this month, “the renewable offshore business is growing. This amendment would safeguard any future funds for protecting the coast only.”
If Amendment 1 is rejected, OCS funding will go to the state’s “general fund” — a funding source that the state legislature is free to allocate to any department in its annual spending bill.
LSU Professor Greg Upton, whose research focuses on the intersection of energy and environmental economics, observed that proponents believe that passing Amendment 1 is necessary to preserve Louisiana’s coast.
“They think we need this coastline in order to support the long-term resilience of our coast,” he said. “The CPRA needs funding, and this amendment would help make sure that Louisiana’s future revenue streams from the OCS are dedicated to it.”
The state of Louisiana’s coastal restoration projects is dire. The state legislature allocated a meager $10 million to coastal restoration projects in their 2024 session — a drastic decrease in funding compared to the over $400 million the legislature has allocated in years past — and funding from the 2010 BP oil spill is set to run out by 2032.
As Upton puts it, “Some of the CPRA’s projects are so long-term in nature that without long-term funding, they just can’t functionally operate.” And given that studies have estimated that Louisiana currently loses approximately a football field’s worth of land every 100 minutes, these concerns have gained significant traction.
On the other hand, opponents of the amendment argue that Amendment 1 places unnecessary restrictions on the state legislature.
“Opponents say that we shouldn’t allocate any money to the CPRF. They think the legislature should decide where our revenue streams go,” Upton said. “They’re concerned that by dedicating funding to the coast, in the event of a crisis, the only places you can cut are from areas that are not protected — where it be because of a tax policy change, a recession or a slowdown of economic activity.”
Voters will have only two choices come election day: “yes” and “no.” The amendment will either be passed or rejected in its entirety.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5 with polls opening at 6 a.m. and closing at 8 p.m.
