Funding
Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GoMESA)

What is GoMESA?

The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (Pub. Law 109-432) significantly enhances outer continental shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing activities and revenue sharing in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). The Act:

• shares leasing revenues with Gulf producing states and the Land & Water Conservation Fund for coastal restoration projects;

• bans oil and gas leasing within 125 miles off the Florida coastline in the Eastern Planning Area, and a portion of the Central Planning Area, until 2022; and,

• allows companies to exchange certain existing leases in moratorium areas for bonus and royalty credits to be used on other GOM leases.

The Act created revenue sharing provisions for the four Gulf oil and gas producing States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, and their coastal political subdivisions (CPS’s). (Mobile County is an example of a CPS.)  GoMESA funds are to be used for coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection.

Task Force Proposal

In February 2010, the Dauphin Island Restoration Task Force prepared a proposal for the Town of Dauphin Island to submit to the State Lands Division (under the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), requesting GoMESA funding for restoration of the fragile West End.

The State Lands Division is responsible for administering both CIAP and GoMESA and arriving at selecting the projects in Mobile and Baldwin Counties that will be funded.  In the future, GoMESA will phase out CIAP to manage federal royalty payments from Gulf-based oil and gas production.

Since GoMESA and CIAP are related, see our page on CIAP for more information.

Related Links

Fun(ding) Facts

See Downloads page for GoMESA Proposal from Task Force