Posted on 02/09/2006 9:48:22 AM PST by libertarianPA
February 9, 2006 Reported by the Associated Press
Governor Kathleen Blanco says she'll go to court, if necessary, to block future oil leases off Louisiana's coast until the state gets a bigger share of the billions in royalties from the oil and gas extracted there.
Blanco threatened to block those leases in a letter last week to the federal agency that manages offshore drilling, the Minerals Management Service. When questioned yesterday about just how far she would take the fight, Blanco said she'd go to court.
Louisiana officials want to use half the oil and gas royalties from offshore drilling to finance up to $40 billion in hurricane recovery and protection projects, but they have been repeatedly rejected over the years in Congress in their bids to get more royalty money.
Blanco says the state is owed a greater share of the dollars because it provides vital infrastructure used by the oil and gas industry and because wetlands have been damaged by the deep canals carved into Louisiana's marshes and dredging by the industry.
Coastal states receive a fraction of the billions of dollars the federal government gets from the offshore leases and activities each year while interior states get half of the royalties from drilling on their land.
Blanco...an enemy of the United States of America....
Blanco and The Mob........One you expect extortion, the other is just a bunch of criminals.........
Need to rebuild that corrupt coffer eh?
There will never be enough money for Blanco and her crooks.
Go ahead and keep it up Blanco. Between her and Lady Landreu, the sympthy from the rest of the country towards your state is running thin.
Wonder how many Oil Companies will rebuild and stay in Louisiana or will they move out because of the business climate.
Think she is minus too many toes to keep shooting herself in the foot.
TT
I am a big states rights person... but I don't see why any state has control over what happens in the waters off it's coast, seems clearly like federal and/or international jurisdiction to me.
From the Cutting off Your Nose to Spite Your Face Department . . .
"From the Cutting off Your Nose to Spite Your Face Department"
This is BLANK-O's "Hail Mary" play. She knows she's toast in 2007. People in this state remind her every day.
She figures the only possible, miniscule chance she's got is overturning a 50 year old ruling that was upheld in the Federal Courts every time it's been challenged. The last time was in the early 90s I believe.
While I don't believe in her politics as a states righter I have to say that I don't disagree with her stance.
The less money the feds have in my opinion the better. All the states should be more self sufficient, this would be a step in that direction.
The more money the feds have the more control they have. Over everything from funding planned parenthood to welfare and education. Get the fed out of the business of sticking it's nose where it shouldn't be and back into the business of protecting the country and it's borders.
I agree about the states rights thing totally.
The only thing that ticks me off about this is because she feels she is NOT getting enough federal money (or, really... OUR money). So she's going to try to make it so that we're paying more at the pump this summer since the fed isn't giving her state as much as she feels it's entitled to.
Ok, but which is which/
I'd trust the Mob more than Blanco. At least you know where you stand with the Mob..........
Just another Democrat self-destructing when confronted with reality/facts.
The history of this situation is interesting. Louisiana was offered in 1947 or '48 a 60% royalty for oil revenues from the Truman administation. Wacky Gov. Earl Long who was trying to get his little brother elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time, was pressured by Leander Perez, the dictator of Plaquemine Parish, to hold out for a 100% royalty, all or nothing, for his support of Russel's candidacy.
Crazy Earl went all-in, little brother, Russell, went to the Senate for the next 40+ years, Truman didn't blink, and the state lost out on somewhere between 100-200 billion dollars it could have put to good use over the years.
great this gets rid of the best excuse people use for rebuilding NO, the oil and gas industry.
Maybe Blanco or Nagin will run for President in 08?
ROFL!
She's a flippin' jerk. She sure as hell doesn't understand business.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.