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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 96
BY SENATOR MCPHERSON
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities and the office of coastal
protection and restoration to support the establishment of a state seashore and the
restoration of the habitat of Elmer's Island, Fourchon Beach, and Caminada
Headland, as recompense for damages to natural resources caused by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill, and requests that such recompense be taken under consideration by
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in developing the
programmatic environment impact statement for the national resources damage
assessment.
WHEREAS, Louisiana has one of the longest shorelines of any coastal state in the
nation, and is unsurpassed in value for fish and wildlife resources; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana's coastline is a mecca for recreational fishing, hunting, and
bird watching, and has nurtured culture, cuisine, and heritage for which the state is widely
recognized and admired; and
WHEREAS, on Louisiana's coast, recreational and commercial fishing, energy
developments, ports, shipping, and leisure options present a unique convergence of
commercial and recreational opportunities; and
WHEREAS, many coastal states have designated state seashores which are managed
for public use and enjoyment, but despite Louisiana's long shoreline and its attraction for
commercial and recreation opportunities, Louisiana does not have a state seashore; and
WHEREAS, potentially the best occasion to experience Louisiana's unique mix of
coastal wildlife, recreation, and commerce is afforded by the barrier beachfront of the
Caminada Headland, an approximate fourteen mile stretch of shoreline between Caminada
Pass in Jefferson Parish and West Belle Pass in Lafourche Parish, that is accessible via
Highway 3090 and Elmer's Island Road; and
WHEREAS, with Elmer's Island on the east and Fourchon Beach on the west, these SCR NO. 96 ENROLLED
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gateways to the Caminada Headland have historically provided a venue to some of the best
surf fishing, crabbing, and bird watching, and beach combing in the state; and
WHEREAS, the Caminada Headland is the shoreline most impacted by the April 20,
2010, Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and was closed to the public for more than one year, with
some portions still closed while damages are remediated; and
WHEREAS, beyond the tragic loss of eleven human lives caused by the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill, damages to natural and recreational resources are still being evaluated
through the natural resources damage assessment process, established pursuant to the federal
Oil Pollution Act of 1990; and
WHEREAS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the lead federal
trustee, is assessing damages and losses related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and has
invited public input, for suitable mitigation for such damages and losses; and
WHEREAS, the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities and the office of coastal
protection and restoration should study the full restoration of the habitat of Elmer's Island
and the Caminada Headland, including review of the acquisition of additional portions of
Elmer's Island from willing sellers to include in the Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge,
development and implementation of a habitat inventory, and a habitat conservation,
enhancement, and public use plan for Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge, all as part of the
recompense necessary to re-establish the public and natural resources damaged by the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the legislature does hereby request the
Governor's Office of Coastal Activities and the office of coastal protection and restoration
to support the establishment of a state seashore and the restoration of the habitat of Elmer's
Island, Fourchon Beach, and Caminada Headlands, as recompense for damages to natural
resources caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and requests that such recompense be
taken under consideration by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in
developing the programmatic environment impact statement for the natural resources
damage assessment.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
director of the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities, the executive director of the office SCR NO. 96 ENROLLED
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of coastal protection and restoration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES