HLS 16RS-2354 ENGROSSED
2016 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 70
BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE
WATER/RESOURCES: Urges continued support for the efforts in the Mississippi River
Basin to achieve the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To urge and request continued support for the efforts by the state of Louisiana and others in
3 the Mississippi River Basin to work together toward achieving the goals of the Gulf
4 Hypoxia Action Plan and a reduction of the hypoxic zone off our coast.
5 WHEREAS, the continued formation of a large area of hypoxia, or low oxygen
6levels, in Louisiana's coastal waters remains a threat to the health of our state's productive
7commercial and recreational offshore fisheries and seafood industry; and
8 WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has been a participant in the cooperative effort
9to address this problem through the federal-state Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico
10Watershed Nutrient Task Force since 1997, and the Action Plan for Reducing Hypoxia in
11the Northern Gulf of Mexico since 2000; and
12 WHEREAS, these efforts have engaged twelve states along the Mississippi and Ohio
13rivers, along with federal agencies and private stakeholders, in a collaborative effort to
14reduce the average size of the annual hypoxic zone through conservation, ecosystem
15restoration, and nutrient management and reduction programs; and
16 WHEREAS, Louisiana and the task force are working with partners such as
17Mississippi River Basin Land Grant Universities, including Louisiana State University and
18its Agriculture Center, and programs such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
19Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watershed Initiative, in collaboration with the Louisiana
20Department of Agriculture and Forestry's office of soil and water conservation, which has
21developed projects in watersheds across Louisiana, in cooperation with farmers and
22landowners; and
Page 1 of 2 HLS 16RS-2354 ENGROSSED
HCR NO. 70
1 WHEREAS, industries along the Mississippi River Industrial Corridor between
2Baton Rouge and New Orleans are proactively and voluntarily reducing their nutrient
3releases to the river and the Gulf of Mexico, as highlighted by the Louisiana Department of
4Environment Quality's environmental leadership program and the updated report entitled
5"Nutrient Releases to the Mississippi River in the Louisiana Industrial Corridor", completed
6by the Louisiana Water Synergy Project in 2014; and
7 WHEREAS, Louisiana has previously expressed its support for efforts to reduce the
8Gulf hypoxic zone and ensure the health of the state's offshore fisheries and waters, in
9resolutions such as HCR No. 47 of the 2000 Regular Session, HCR No. 80 of the 2007
10Regular Session, SCR No. 40 of the 2010 Regular Session, and SR No. 84 of the 2012
11Regular Session.
12 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Louisiana Legislature urges and requests
13continued support for the efforts by our state and others in the Mississippi River Basin to
14work together toward achieving the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan and a reduction
15of the hypoxic zone off our coast.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Louisiana Legislature conveys this support
17to Louisiana's Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Congressional delegation.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be forwarded to
19Governor John Bel Edwards, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, and each member of the
20Louisiana Congressional delegation.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 70 Engrossed 2016 Regular Session Zeringue
Urges continued support for the efforts by Louisiana and others in the Mississippi River
Basin to work together toward achieving the goals of the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan and a
reduction of the hypoxic zone off our coast.
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