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A pair of Louisiana congressmen are asking their peers to expand Louisiana’s state waters along the coast further into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Offshore Parity Act of 2024 looks to extend Louisiana’s state authority to 9 miles offshore into the Gulf Of Mexico, “giving all states the same nine miles of energy, fisheries and other resources to manage,” Rep. Garret Graves says in a press release.
The Submerged Lands Act of 1953 currently only extends state waters to 9 nautical miles for the states of Texas and Florida.
“Texas and Florida have nearly nine miles of state waters, while Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have just three,” Graves says. “I’m not sure who was negotiating for us generations ago, but that is just ridiculous.”
Democrat Rep. Troy Carter, who co-authored the bipartisan legislation, says the bill will empower the state to manage its energy resources, protect coastal communities and strengthen the fisheries.
“This is a critical step toward equality, ensuring Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama have the same authority over their waters as Texas and Florida,” Carter says.
Graves, who has been working on expanding Louisiana’s boundary since he was a Senate staffer, helped draft the original legislation, the Offshore Fairness Act of 2005. The expansion of the state’s waters into the Gulf can also lead to increased energy production revenue for the state.
