Posted on 02/05/2006 10:38:58 AM PST by CobaltBlue
Louisiana's leaders have made a strong case for getting a larger, fairer share of offshore oil royalties for the state; so far, though, reason and persuasion haven't worked with Congress or the Bush administration.
But Louisiana also has a stick -- the power to oppose the sale of new offshore oil leases -- and Gov. Blanco made the right move by showing that she might use it.
She threatened, in a letter to the Minerals Management Service, to withhold support for an August sale unless Louisiana gets a more substantial piece of the revenue. And she makes the crucial link: Louisiana can't continue to support an industry that takes a real toll on the state's coastline without making sure that its needs are met.
"It is abundantly clear that allowing development to occur where inadequate provisions are made for the protection of that development is irresponsible," she wrote.
That's entirely reasonable. It's also good strategy. Now is the right time to remind Congress and the White House that Louisiana could be less cooperative in the future.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
Ping.
I don't see that Louisiana ever actually had any sympathy -- if so, it sure hasn't been exhibited on Free Republic.
Better than sympathy is respect.
Is she a supporter of eminent domain?
Ping.
Eminent domain is the law of the land in all 50 states, so I imagine that the Governor of Louisiana supports eminent domain.
I understand it is the law of the land. But, that doesn't mean every Governor would have supported it. Just on principle it is evil.
I have some friends from Norleans, and I feel sorry for them, and for any other innocent victims of the hurricane. But I can't work up a lot of sympathy for Norleans in general. The place had turned into a currupt gang of layabouts and grafters. And to tell the truth, even my friends are political moonbats, somewhere to the left of Lenin and Mao.
If they aren't willing to pitch in and help, which is certainly true of the governor and the mayor and every other politician we have heard from down there, then why should the rest of us help them?
Yes, this a classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face, and Blanco is too dumb to realize it. And the press down there is just as dumb for encouraging her.
public use, with just compensation.
In point of fact, I have yet to meet a property owner who felt like they got "just compensation."
Nevertheless, it's pretty well impossible to build roads, bridges, highways, schools, etc., without it.
Taking private property for a
private use is something that is illegal in most states, and I agree with you that this is also immoral.
But nevertheless, this is irrelevant. Nobody is "taking" the property that the leases are on.
There are two main points in favor of the moratorium:
1) Offshore oil needs infrastructure, and the State of Louisiana pays for that infrastructure, so needs compensation.
2) Offshore oil destroys the environment (coastal erosion), and that makes hurricanes more dangerous -- the coastal marshes are necessary to lessen the strength of hurricanes, and need to be rebuilt.
It's just plain dollars and sense.
Louisiana could do like California and Florida and ban offshore drilling.
Interesting question. As a factual matter, who owns the leases, and how long are they good for?
As a practical matter, what about the lost revenue?
Eminent Domain is in the Constitution, so perhaps you better re-think your stance on that. Further, this discussion has zero to do with ED.
Also, unlike CA and FL, Louisiana's coastline isn't filled with beaches where expensive homes and hotels can be built. So there's no constituency that wants to keep their ocean views clear and are afraid of potential spills.
You gotta love how clueless freeepers are on this subject. Louisiana gets less revenue from offshore oil drilling than any other state. Texas, (I believe) controls their oil drilling up to seventeen miles off the coast. Louisiana only controls three miles off its coast.
Further coastal restoration in Louisiana is a must and stopping off shore drilling is a good way to stop it.
Blank-o hasn't done anything right but I support this move. Let's see you idiots who don't want to help us heat your home next winter.
Y'all talk about how you don't want to give any of "your" tax money to Louisiana (like we don't pay taxes), well that's fine. We don't want to give you any more of our oil.
I don't really think that's right. Most of the infrastructure is either provided by the Corps of Engineers with federal money (the water transport system) or by private companies (the pipelines).
Coastal erosion is caused by natural forces, not by oil rigs. Yes, there's some lowering of the surface level by pumping out oil, gas, and water from underground. But I think by far the largest cause of erosion of the delta area has been caused by the existence of New Orleans itself. That's to say, it's caused by the levee system that has reduced or redirected the silt coming down the river, which build the delta in the first place.
Greed is a terrible thing it seems to be epidemic in Louisianna especially New Orleans.
The expensive homes and hotels that were destroyed by Katrina weren't on the beach, but they were still destroyed.
The risks posed by coastal erosion are no longer intellectual theories by some ivory-tower eggheads (not that I'd call LSU an "ivory tower.")
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