Congressman Carter, Graves Introduce Bill to Expand Louisiana’s State Sovereignty in the Gulf of Mexico
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA) and Congressman Garret Graves (R-LA) introduced their bipartisan legislation, the Offshore Parity Act of 2024 that will expand the state authority of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico. Expanding state sovereignty in the Gulf would give Louisiana greater management authority over resources and their revenues, including energy and fisheries.
“This is a critical step toward equality, ensuring Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama have the same authority over their waters as Texas and Florida,” said Rep. Carter. “This bill will empower us to manage our energy resources, protect our coastal communities, and strengthen our fisheries—securing both economic and environmental benefits for our state. I’m proud to join Congressman Graves in this bipartisan effort to give us the tools to build a more resilient and prosperous future.
This bill would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to extend Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi’s authorities to the same extent as Texas and Florida. Louisiana’s offshore boundary is now just one marine league, or three nautical miles, while Texas and Florida have authority over three leagues from their coast, or nine nautical miles.
“Texas and Florida have nearly nine miles of state waters, while Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have just three. I’m not sure who was negotiating for us generations ago, but that is just ridiculous. Our bill fixes this disparity by giving all Gulf states the same nine miles of energy, fisheries, and other resources to manage,” said Rep Graves. “Energy production in Louisiana waters will result in new revenue to rebuild our coast and protect our people and energy infrastructure. And Louisiana fisheries management will remain the best in the country. This is a win for energy, ecosystems, and estuaries – and that benefits all Americans.
Background
In the 1940s, coastal states began staking claim to resources in waters off their coastline, and questions over federal and state jurisdiction ensued. As a result, Congress passed the Submerged Lands Act of 1953 (SLA) to establish coastal states' jurisdiction and boundaries.
The SLA, with federal courts, granted Texas and the Gulf Coast of Florida jurisdiction of 9 nautical miles, or three marine leagues, off their coastlines, while it established Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama’s coastline at three nautical miles.
The State of Louisiana challenged this restriction before the United States Supreme Court in 1969, which ruled in United States vs. Louisiana that Louisiana could not prove it had jurisdiction over the waters extending 3 marine leagues from its coastline before it entered the Union, and therefore its state waters would stay at 3 nautical miles. The Offshore Parity Act of 2024 fixes this disparity.
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