It might seem unlikely, but just one highway in this country connects nearly 20 percent of our domestic energy to the rest of our nation.
In the tiny area of Port Fourchon on the Gulf Coast lies a fragile road called La. 1.
That lone stretch of pavement is critical to our nation’s energy security.
Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s only port on the Gulf of Mexico and has become the focal point of offshore oil and gas activities, providing services to half of the rigs in the Gulf.
It is projected that Port Fourchon will service 44 percent of future deepwater operations and 58 percent of all offshore drilling in the central Gulf over the next 30 years.
This will add further strain to La. 1.
But this road has been neglected.
A 30-mile section of this two-lane highway provides the only land access to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is the only offshore oil terminal in the United States, allowing for the safe offloading of tankers that are too large for inland ports.
It handles 14 percent of U.S. imported crude oil and services the Outer Continental Shelf.
Maintaining this critical artery requires government funding—money that could come from increased access to the oil and natural gas industry.
A drilling slowdown, like the one currently seen in the gulf, means our state will not see as much in royalty revenue from the industry in the future — revenue needed to maintain La.1.
In fact, a recent study by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that the decline in oil and natural gas production in the gulf and a lack of new permits has cost federal, state, and local governments $4.7 million a day in lost revenue. The impacts of the drilling moratorium and now the “permitorium” have been significant.
Repairs and maintenance have been ignored on La. 1 even as a federal study projects an 80 percent increase in truck traffic along the route during the next 10 years.
LOOP’s pipelines are connected to 50 percent of our domestic refinery capacity.
This means access to this road is critical to the energy security of our nation.
We must maintain our infrastructure if we want to maintain our status as the world’s top economy.
The energy industry has been good to our state’s economy.
Offshore drilling has created thousands of jobs for Louisiana and has been the driving force in the development of tax revenues for our state and local governments.
In March, President Obama set a goal to reduce the amount of imported oil by a third.
This is a noble goal and one that could be attainable in part through the production of domestic offshore resources.
Despite this, the president continues to hamstring the industry as the government delays permitting for rigs to resume work in the Gulf and restricts access to resources in Alaska.
This year is expected to be the first year since 1965 — more than 45 years — without an offshore lease sale. Not only do these leases have the potential to jumpstart a struggling Gulf economy, but they would help produce the domestic energy we need to meet President Obama’s goal.
Instead of looking for real energy solutions, the Gulf Coast continues to wait for a rational energy policy from the president.
In the meantime, thousands stand ready to work to contribute much-needed revenue to our state and help fund the upkeep of a critical piece of our infrastructure, La. 1.
Henri Boulet is the executive director of the LA 1 Coalition, a nonprofit group advocating improvements to La. 1.
Source: www.houmatoday.com
In the tiny area of Port Fourchon on the Gulf Coast lies a fragile road called La. 1.
That lone stretch of pavement is critical to our nation’s energy security.
Port Fourchon is Louisiana’s only port on the Gulf of Mexico and has become the focal point of offshore oil and gas activities, providing services to half of the rigs in the Gulf.
It is projected that Port Fourchon will service 44 percent of future deepwater operations and 58 percent of all offshore drilling in the central Gulf over the next 30 years.
This will add further strain to La. 1.
But this road has been neglected.
A 30-mile section of this two-lane highway provides the only land access to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which is the only offshore oil terminal in the United States, allowing for the safe offloading of tankers that are too large for inland ports.
It handles 14 percent of U.S. imported crude oil and services the Outer Continental Shelf.
Maintaining this critical artery requires government funding—money that could come from increased access to the oil and natural gas industry.
A drilling slowdown, like the one currently seen in the gulf, means our state will not see as much in royalty revenue from the industry in the future — revenue needed to maintain La.1.
In fact, a recent study by the National Center for Policy Analysis found that the decline in oil and natural gas production in the gulf and a lack of new permits has cost federal, state, and local governments $4.7 million a day in lost revenue. The impacts of the drilling moratorium and now the “permitorium” have been significant.
Repairs and maintenance have been ignored on La. 1 even as a federal study projects an 80 percent increase in truck traffic along the route during the next 10 years.
LOOP’s pipelines are connected to 50 percent of our domestic refinery capacity.
This means access to this road is critical to the energy security of our nation.
We must maintain our infrastructure if we want to maintain our status as the world’s top economy.
The energy industry has been good to our state’s economy.
Offshore drilling has created thousands of jobs for Louisiana and has been the driving force in the development of tax revenues for our state and local governments.
In March, President Obama set a goal to reduce the amount of imported oil by a third.
This is a noble goal and one that could be attainable in part through the production of domestic offshore resources.
Despite this, the president continues to hamstring the industry as the government delays permitting for rigs to resume work in the Gulf and restricts access to resources in Alaska.
This year is expected to be the first year since 1965 — more than 45 years — without an offshore lease sale. Not only do these leases have the potential to jumpstart a struggling Gulf economy, but they would help produce the domestic energy we need to meet President Obama’s goal.
Instead of looking for real energy solutions, the Gulf Coast continues to wait for a rational energy policy from the president.
In the meantime, thousands stand ready to work to contribute much-needed revenue to our state and help fund the upkeep of a critical piece of our infrastructure, La. 1.
Henri Boulet is the executive director of the LA 1 Coalition, a nonprofit group advocating improvements to La. 1.
Source: www.houmatoday.com
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