Louisiana Outer Continental Shelf Revenues for Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund Amendment (2024)

Louisiana Outer Continental Shelf Revenues for Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund Amendment
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic State and local government budgets, spending, and finance and Energy
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

The Louisiana Outer Continental Shelf Revenues for Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund Amendment was on the ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported requiring federal revenue received from alternative and renewable energy production in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to be deposited in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.

A "no" vote opposed requiring federal revenue received from alternative and renewable energy production in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to be deposited in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.

Election results

Louisiana Outer Continental Shelf Revenues for Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund Amendment
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,367,876	73.10%
No		503,275	26.90%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did the amendment do?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment required federal revenues received by the state from energy production (including wind, solar, tidal, wave, and other alternative or renewable energy sources) to be deposited in the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund. As of 2024, the fund received federal revenues received by the state from oil and gas production.

What is the Outer Continental Shelf?

See also: Outer Continental Shelf

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) of 1953 defined the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as all submerged lands lying seaward of state coastal waters extending 200 nautical miles under U.S. jurisdiction. States typically have jurisdiction over waters extending three nautical miles from their shorelines. Coastal states receive a portion of revenues from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing and production.

In 2023, the U.S. government held its first offshore wind lease sale including one site for lease located about 30 miles off the coast and including 102,480 acres south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 2024, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposal for a second wind lease sale including four areas off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas totaling 410,060 acres.

As of 2024, the federal government did not provide a revenue-sharing program to share revenues with coastal states generated from alternative energy.

How did the amendment get on the ballot?

See also: Path to the ballot

In Louisiana, a two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature to refer a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.

This amendment was introduced as House Bill 300. It was passed in the House on April 3, 2024, by a vote of 105-0 with five members absent. The state Senate passed the bill on May 30 in a vote of 33-3 with three members absent.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question for the amendment was as follows:

“

Do you support an amendment to require that federal revenues received by the state generated from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewable energy production be deposited into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund?

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article VII, Louisiana Constitution

The measure amended Section 10.2(E)(1) of Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution. The following struck-through text was deleted and underlined text was added.

§10.2. Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund

Section 10.2

(E)(1) Subject to Article VII, Sections 9(B) and 10.1 of this constitution, in each fiscal year, the federal revenues that are received by the state generated from Outer Continental Shelf energy production, including but not limited to oil and gas activity, wind energy, solar energy, tidal energy, wave energy, geothermal energy, and other alternative or renewable energy production or sources and eligible, as provided by federal law, to be used for the purposes of this Paragraph shall be deposited and credited by the treasurer to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 22, and the FRE is -4. The word count for the ballot title is 33.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Rep. Joseph Orgeron (R)

Opposition

Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.

Media editorials

See also: 2024 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

• NOLA Herald Editorial Board: "Amendment No. 1 would send any revenue generated by wind and other alternative energy production in federal waters to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund, which pays for wetlands preservation, coastal restoration, hurricane protection and infrastructure directly impacted by coastal wetlands loss. Federal money from offshore oil and gas already goes into this account, and it’s become a vital source of funding for projects that address Louisiana’s most pressing environmental vulnerabilities. A 'yes' vote would add future revenue from new energy sources if Congress decides to share that money with the state. We don’t know whether that will happen, but we hope it does. Money from the BP oil spill settlement will stop flowing into the coastal fund in less than a decade, and any additional income would be not only welcome but badly needed. Adopting this amendment may also give Congress a comfort level in sending the money to Louisiana, knowing that it would be put to good use."

Opposition

Ballotpedia did not identify any media editorials in opposition to the amendment. If you are aware of one, please send an email with a link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Louisiana ballot measures

If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Outer Continental Shelf

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) of 1953 defined the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) as all submerged lands lying seaward of state coastal waters extending 200 nautical miles under U.S. jurisdiction. States typically have jurisdiction over waters extending three nautical miles from their shorelines.

According to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), "As the industry continued to evolve through the 1950s, oil production became the second-largest revenue generator for the country, after income taxes. The U.S. government passed the U.S. Submerged Lands Act in 1953, which set the federal government's title and ownership of submerged lands at three miles from a state’s coastline. The OCSLA also provided for federal jurisdiction over submerged lands of the OCS and authorized the Secretary of the Interior to lease those lands for mineral development."

Coastal states receive a portion of revenues from Outer Continental Shelf leasing and production.

Gulf of Mexico wind leases

In 2023, the U.S. held its first offshore wind leases in the Gulf of Mexico off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana including one site for lease located about 30 miles off the coast and including 102,480 acres south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Elizabeth Klein said, "Today’s lease sale represents an important milestone for the Gulf of Mexico region — and for our nation — to transition to a clean energy future. The Lake Charles Lease Area will have the potential to generate enough electricity to power about 435,400 homes and create hundreds of jobs."

On March 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced a proposal for a second wind lease sale including four areas off the coasts of Louisiana and Texas totaling 410,060 acres.

Constitutional amendments in Louisiana

A total of 112 constitutional amendments appeared on the statewide ballot in Louisiana during even-numbered years from 2000 through 2022. Of the 112 amendments, 77 (68.75%) were approved and 35 (31.25%) were defeated.

Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 2000-2022
Total number	Approved	Percent approved	Defeated	Percent defeated	Even-year average	Even-year median	Even-year minimum	Even-year maximum
112	77	68.75%	35	31.25%	9	8	4	21

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution

In Louisiana, a two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature to refer a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.

This amendment was introduced as House Bill 300. It was passed in the House on April 3, 2024, by a vote of 105-0 with five members absent. The state Senate passed the bill on May 30 in a vote of 33-3 with three members absent.

Vote in the Louisiana House of Representatives April 3, 2024
Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 70  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	100	0	5
Total percent	95.24%	0.00%	4.76%
Democrat	30	0	1
Republican	69	0	4
Independent	1	0	0

Vote in the Louisiana State Senate May 30, 2024
Requirement: Two-thirds (66.67 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 26  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	33	3	3
Total percent	84.6%%	7.7%%	7.7%%
Democrat	11	0	0
Republican	22	3	3

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Louisiana

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Louisiana.

How to vote in Louisiana

Poll times

In Louisiana, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central time for Tuesday elections. For Saturday elections, polls open at 7:00 a.m. If the polls close while a voter is in line, he or she will still be permitted to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Louisiana, one must provide documentary proof of United States citizenship and be a resident of the state and parish in which they register. A voter must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.

Registration completed via mail or in person must occur at least 30 days before Election Day. Registration completed online must occur at least 20 days before Election Day. Registrants must present a valid form of identification to register. Pre-registration is available beginning at age 16.

Voters may register in person at any Registrar of Voters office or any of the following places:

• Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
• Louisiana Department of Social Services
• WIC offices
• Food stamp offices
• Medicaid offices
• Offices and agencies serving people with disabilities
• Military recruitment offices

Automatic registration

Louisiana does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Louisiana has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Louisiana does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Louisiana law requires 20 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Louisiana state law requires a voter registration applicant to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. As of June 2025, the state had not implemented the requirement.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Geaux Vote, run by the Louisiana Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Louisiana requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of August 14, 2024. Click here to ensure you have the most current information.

• Louisiana driver's license
• Louisiana special identification card
• LA Wallet digital driver's license
• Military ID or other generally recognized picture identification card that contains the name and signature of the voter

Voters who do not have accepted ID may vote by completing a voter identification affidavit. By law, voters who sign an affidavit may be challenged.

Registered voters can bring their voter information card to the Office of Motor Vehicles to receive a free Louisiana special identification card.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• State and local government budgets, spending, and finance on the ballot
• Energy on the ballot

Louisiana

• Louisiana ballot measures
• Louisiana ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• House Bill 300