How Does CARA Threaten Coastal Environments?
“Qualified revenues”: The entire CARA bill is funded by revenues from offshore oil production. While revenues that may be derived in the future from areas currently under the bill, there is currently no moratorium on leasing offshore of Alaska (except for a small area in Bristol Bay). Thus, the rest of Alaska’s shoreline is up for grabs; even sensitive marine and coastal ecosystems are not off limits. This creates an incentive for beneficiaries of the bill to support leasing and development in Alaska in order to boost funding for programs under the bill. The allocation formula: 50 percent of the $1 billion provided for Title I “coastal impact assistance” goes straight to the states who have oil production off their coasts. Half of that is allocated based on a state’s or local community’s proximity to offshore development. The allocation scheme creates incentives for the state and its local jurisdictions to accept new leasing, given that more leasing equals a bigger share of the pot. Us
