Posted on October 31, 2024
Louisiana citizens can expect to see this question on their Nov. 5 ballot: “Do you support an amendment to require that federal revenues received by the state generated from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewable energy production be deposited into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund?”
This statewide referendum has the potential to amend the state constitution, Section 10.2(E)(1) of Article VII. The section states that the funds from oil and gas activity in the Outer Continental Shelf should be distributed into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund each year. The amendment would require revenue from renewable energy sources to also be given to the fund.
Alternative energy production on the Outer Continental Shelf — wind, solar, tidal, wave and geothermal energy — is increasingly profitable. Tulane University environmental studies and public policy professor Joshua Basseches said this increasing profit “incentivizes the state to be more receptive to alternative forms of energy because they now get revenue from them.”
By amending Article VII, efforts to protect the environment could be increased.
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund is a project repairing Louisiana’s coastal areas. The region is currently in crisis as it rapidly loses coastal land, making restoration of the land increasingly difficult.
Basseches said the amendment is both environmentally and economically advantageous. He said opposition to the referendum may stem from a desire to “protect incumbent oil and gas industry from competition.”
Currently Article VII, while financially contributing to the implementation of positive environmental change, perpetuates the exploitation of the Outer Continental Shelf. Oil and gas infrastructure is economically and politically tied to Louisiana’s coast, and the industry’s environmental impacts cause the environmental damage that the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund combats.
“In the long run, [renewable energy] can actually save money compared to other forms of energy,” Basseches said.
Referendums enable citizens to directly influence public policy, a rare opportunity. However, individuals often overlook referendums when thinking about the ballot.
“Political science research shows that referendums do not necessarily result in citizens being more politically engaged,” said Basseches.
Political participation is bound to be higher on Nov. 5, as it is a presidential election year.
“I never knew of [the referendum],” freshman and Louisiana resident Caroline Curry said. Curry is a first-time voter.
However, Curry is aware of the dominion oil and gas have on Louisiana’s coast.
“The only thing [in Louisiana] is that, literally, any engineering job you go into is oil and gas, which isn’t sustainable at all,” she said. Curry is considering a minor in engineering.
Curry plans to vote “yes” on the referendum.
If the referendum is rejected, money from alternative and renewable energy will go to the state general fund, where it can be spent on any initiative.
