Page 1 of 2
Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 40
BY SENATOR B. GAUTREAUX
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To memorialize the Congress of the United States to support continued investment and
progress in alleviating the problem of hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.
WHEREAS, the spread of a large annual hypoxia zone in the Gulf of Mexico poses
a significant threat to the health of Louisiana's productive coastal fishery and the
communities and parishes who depend on it; and
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has participated in the national effort to reduce
the spread of Gulf hypoxia since the formation of the federal-state Mississippi River/Gulf
of Mexico Watershed Nutrient Task Force in 1998; and
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Legislature has memorialized the Congress and the
President of the United States to fulfill their commitment to address this problem through
the cooperative framework of the Action Plan for Reducing Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf
of Mexico, in House Concurrent Resolution 80 of the 2007 Regular Session of the
Legislature of Louisiana and House Concurrent Resolution 148 of the 2009 Regular Session
of the Legislature of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the launching of the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds
Initiative by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2009, marks the first targeted
federal funding for implementation activities of the Action Plan since it was signed in 2001;
and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has joined the other states in the Mississippi River Basin who
are participating in this initiative to engage partners and stakeholders in nominating
watersheds to receive federal funding under this program; and SCR NO. 40 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 2
WHEREAS, the President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2011, also contains funding
dedicated to Action Plan implementation activities under the budget of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency; and
WHEREAS, our neighboring state of Mississippi has accepted the role of co-chair
of the Mississippi River/Watershed Nutrient Task Force, continuing their active
collaboration with Louisiana and federal and basin partners to address problems affecting
each state's coast and the Gulf of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, these steps represent a significant acceleration of progress, while all
parties involved recognize that much more remains to be done to reverse the spread of Gulf
hypoxia, which requires Congressional participation and support.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
memorialize the Congress of the United States to support continued investment and progress
in implementing the Action Plan for Reducing Hypoxia in the North Gulf of Mexico by
expanding cooperative activities throughout the Mississippi River Basin.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
to the secretary of the United States Senate, the clerk of the United States House of
Representatives, each member of the Louisiana delegation to the Congress of the United
States, and the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Congress of the United States.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES