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Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 181
BY SENATOR CROWE
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request all relevant state and federal agencies to devote all available resources
to stop the flow of oil at the former site of the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of
Mexico and to protect, clean, and restore Louisiana's coast, marshes, estuaries, and
wildlife and fisheries, and to minimize its negative impacts on citizens and
businesses; and to use all available state and federal legal means to ensure that the
responsible parties are brought to justice and held fully responsible for damages,
including swift and just compensation for legitimate claims of lost property, wages,
life, health, and other grievances; and to ensure that a disaster like the Deepwater
Horizon event that began April 20, 2010, is never repeated.
WHEREAS, on April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing eleven
workers and subsequently sank to the bottom of the Mississippi Canyon area of the Gulf of
Mexico and began gushing several thousands of barrels of oil per day; and
WHEREAS, this disaster is now recognized as the worst oil spill in the nation's
history, with a conservative estimate of over 70,000,000 gallons of oil escaping into the Gulf
of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, despite the efforts of British Petroleum, the federal government, and
many outside consultants, there has been no permanent and complete solution to the oil
escaping into the Gulf; and
WHEREAS, BP's contingency plans for a massive oil spill have been shown to be
less than adequate, and as evident from the current situation, the response efforts from both
BP and the government have not succeeded in protecting the citizens, wildlife, and
environment of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast; and
WHEREAS, there is a degree of risk associated with any drilling operation, and it
is the state and federal government's duty to prevent, minimize, and mitigate such risk from SR NO. 181 ENROLLED
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negatively impacting the citizens and business that they govern, as well as protecting the
wildlife and environment in which they live; and
WHEREAS, the relevant regulatory agencies, including the Minerals Management
Service, have been determined to have failed in their ability to regulate deepwater drilling;
and
WHEREAS, the Obama Administration has placed a six-month moratorium on
deepwater drilling while the Department of Interior reevaluates concerns with safety and
environmental oversight; and
WHEREAS, it has become evident that the government's moratorium on offshore
drilling may become a threat to the economy and general employment in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, it is recognized that the oil and gas industry directly employs over fifty
thousand people in Louisiana, provides good-paying jobs for hard work, and accounts for
sixteen percent of our state's gross domestic product; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has long taken pride as an energy leader in the nation and the
world; and
WHEREAS, many other industries rely on the income generated by oil and gas to
survive, and fishing and tourism may be negatively impacted for years as a result of
incoming oil.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge all relevant state and federal agencies to devote all resources to stopping
the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon well site, to protect, clean, and restore the coasts,
marshes, estuaries, and wildlife and fisheries of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, and to protect
the health, well-being, and welfare of coastal residents from the impacts of oil and
dispersants.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana urges
federal government use of all available legal means to ensure that the responsible parties for
this disaster are held to justice and are fully accountable for the costs of response, mitigation,
and restoration, and that all legitimate claims from impacted fishermen, oil workers, and
business be honored and be compensated swiftly and completely, including claims for lost
wages, property, health, life and other grievances. SR NO. 181 ENROLLED
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
commits itself to an investigation into the safety and environmental regulations surrounding
offshore drilling, to discover whether or not those regulations are adequate and enforced in
a way that will prevent, minimize, and mitigate the risks associated with exploration and
production of petroleum and natural gas, whether on land or offshore.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana will
set clean energy development and economic diversification as a priority for the next
legislative session as a strategy to reduce the state's dependence on oil and gas, to replace
jobs lost by the impacts from the Deepwater Horizon disaster and from the federal
moratorium on deepwater drilling, and to secure Louisiana's place as an energy leader well
into the 21
st
Century.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE