Oil Spill Response Bill Gets Final Passage in Louisiana

Louisiana’s coastal parishes are in line for $24.9 million in state money to help them with oil spill response efforts.

The spending plans were included in a budget bill that received final passage June 20 and is headed to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk.

The dollars will come from the state’s Oil Spill Contingency Fund.

Lawmakers kept the money in the budget despite a request from the governor’s office to remove it. The administration said local government needs should be billed to BP PLC, which is covering the costs of response efforts, and said the allocation exceeds the money available in the oil spill fund.

Coastal parish lawmakers argued local governments and communities are cash-strapped and can’t float the money for response efforts and wait for reimbursement.

The dollars will be divided with $3 million each going to St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. Another $4 million will be split evenly between Orleans and St. Tammany parishes. St. Mary, Iberia, Vermilion and Cameron parishes will get $1.1 million each. Jefferson Parish will get $4.5 million, with the town of Grand Isle and the town of Jean Lafitte each getting $1.5 million.

House Bill 1358 can be found at www.legis.state.la.us