The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill funding the Department of the Interior on Thursday which included an amendment sponsored by Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) meant to protect key resources for the state.
Thanks to the amendment, Alabama and other Gulf states now have an extra measure of confidence that Trump administration officials won’t be able to redirect funds promised to them by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA).
The amendment prohibits such attempts, as have been tried by both the Obama and Trump administrations.
“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 in a Thursday speech on the House floor. “It only makes sense that the coastal areas should receive an adequate share of the revenue.”
The revenue is collected from offshore oil and gas leases and summarily redistributed to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.
GOMESA authorizes states and coastal counties to use funds for numerous protection, conservation and restoration purposes.
This year, the state of Alabama was given upwards of $21.4 million. Baldwin and Mobile counties both received more than $2 million in GOMESA revenues.
@jeremywbeaman is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News
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