Louisiana To Push For Gulf Lease Payments

The state of Louisiana is attempting to force the federal government to hand over a share of oil and gas lease revenues from deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico, says the Los Angeles Times.
The state wants the money to remediate its shrinking coastline, which the energy industry damages when it creates pipelines and drags platforms out to sea. Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco wants Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and possibly Alaska, to join the cause. If successful, some analysts predict it could slow offshore oil and gas development, increasing U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy.