Landrieu Calls For Oil-Revenue Sharing For Gulf States.

OFFSHORE oil & gas industry; LANDRIEU, Mary, 1955-; GAS well drilling; NATURAL gas prospecting; BUSH, Jeb, 1953-; UNITED States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Energy & Natural Resources; LAW

This article reports that U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu served sharp notice today that if the Congress agrees to open up new areas to offshore oil and gas drilling, Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states want to share in federal royalties. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Pete Domenici took the opportunity to press for opening up the so-called Lease Sale 181 area, a 6-million acre area in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, located directly south of Alabama and the Florida panhandle. While there is not a production ban on Lease 181, the administration of as not granted leases there because of opposition from Florida lawmakers and Republican Governor Jeb Bush. But in the wake of energy disruption caused by the recent hurricanes, there has been a new push to open up the area, which energy experts say could start producing natural gas almost as soon as it is opened.