(The Center Square) — Currently, Louisiana voters are being asked to consider an amendment to the Louisiana Constitution that will direct federal funds from offshore wind energy to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, 960,561 people have already voted.

At the same time, the Louisiana House delegation is working on legislation that, if passed, would allocate more federal dollars to the state from oil and gas generated in the Gulf, as well as revenues from wind farms.

These funds will be shared among eligible states and conservation programs, with half of all revenues from new offshore wind leases directed to states within a 75-mile radius of the wind project.

But if the legislation is not signed into law by President Joe Biden, the amendment to Louisiana’s constitution is unnecessary because the federal government has ultimate authority over those revenues.

According to the Public Affairs Research Council, the current amendment is primarily intended to encourage Congress to pass the bill.

In 2006, when the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act was passed by Congress, Louisianans also passed an amendment to dedicate a portion of mining revenues to fund coastal restoration and flood protection. Likewise, if Congress had not adopted GOMESA, this amendment would have been moot.

Under the bill, the U.S. Treasury will receive 12.5% ​​of revenues from qualified offshore wind projects, while 37.5% will go to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund to support habitat preservation and restoration efforts. .

The remaining 50% of offshore wind revenues will be deposited into a special account to be distributed among eligible states, determined based on their distance from the project.

States near these offshore wind projects will benefit from this new revenue, with closer states receiving a larger share. The amendment guarantees a minimum allocation of 10% to each eligible state.

The bill also amends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act to allocate a greater share of oil and gas revenue to the states, reducing the federal share from 50% to 37.5% and increasing the state’s share. State at 62.5%.

Of the share allocated to Gulf producing states, 80% now goes directly to these states (up from 75%), while the remaining 20% ​​(up from 25%) is directed to the Land and Water Conservation Fund for supporting conservation efforts across the Gulf. the United States.