2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 34
BY SENATOR HEWITT AND REPRESENTATIVE GAROFALO
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Department of Natural Resources, office of coastal management, to
review permitting cycle times and to report recommendations on regulatory and
statutory changes to expedite the permitting process.
WHEREAS, since the Coastal Zone Management Act was enacted by the Louisiana
Legislature in 1978, the state of Louisiana has issued more than thirty thousand coastal use
permits to authorize and encourage the safe and responsible development of oil and natural
gas resources throughout Louisiana's working coast; and
WHEREAS, coastal use permit timelines in the coastal zone of Louisiana range from
four to thirteen months while in neighboring Texas the same process takes significantly less
time; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has no mandate to cap the amount of time the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers has to process any permits; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana agencies that receive permits from the U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers are under no mandated timeline and have no ability to expedite the response; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana has multiple state agencies involved in the permitting
process; and
WHEREAS, oil and gas exploration in Louisiana is extremely inhibited due to the
lengthy permitting process; and
WHEREAS, delays in permitting often kill or otherwise adversely affect projects due
to the impacts on the project economics; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana projects often compete with projects in Texas which have
quicker permitting cycles and a fee schedule for expedited processing; and
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WHEREAS, today, the development of Louisiana's vast oil and natural resources
support over two-hundred sixty thousand high paying jobs and contributes more than two
billion in annual state revenues; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana oil and natural gas companies also generated more than
two-hundred thirty million dollars in direct funding for coastal restoration and hurricane
protection projects over the last five years; and
WHEREAS, the production of oil and natural gas is essential to the economy and
well-being of Louisiana and the United States, and addressing the critical energy needs of
the state and country requires cooperation.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request the Department of Natural Resources, office of coastal management, to
review permitting cycle times over the previous five years, review permitting cycle times
in Texas, and to report to the Legislature no later than December 31, 2021, with findings and
specific recommendations of regulatory and statutory changes to expedite the permitting
process.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Natural Resources.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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