HCR 27 urges stronger Louisiana coordination on Gulf hypoxia; recommends governor’s office as state representative

Baton Rouge — House Concurrent Resolution 27, approved by the Louisiana Legislature this session, urges enhanced state participation in Gulf hypoxia efforts and recommends administrative and procedural changes to improve coordination and transparency.

Doug Daigle, coordinator of the Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group, briefed the board Wednesday on HCR 27 and said the resolution asks that the governor’s Office of Coastal Activities serve as Louisiana’s official representative on the Gulf hypoxia task force and calls for other in‑state steps to strengthen the state’s role.

Daigle read a principal recommendation: “The first recommendation is that the official representative for Louisiana on that task force be the governor's office of coastal activities.” The resolution also asks for a larger role for the Department of Agriculture and Forestry in the state’s hypoxia work (because of on‑the‑ground conservation programs and farm‑bill connections), seeks inclusion of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in the state’s hypoxia efforts, requests public meetings for task‑force activities, and asks for an annual report to the House and Senate natural-resources committees.

Daigle told the Restoration Authority that the legislature “overwhelmingly voted to approve” the resolution and that it now goes to the governor for implementation. He urged board members to review HCR 27 and to support the resolution’s recommendations, noting the dual nature of hypoxia work: actions outside Louisiana’s borders in the Mississippi River Basin and in‑state conservation and nutrient‑reduction activities.

Why it matters: Hypoxia (seasonal low-oxygen zones in the northern Gulf of Mexico) is shaped by upstream nutrient inputs and by in‑state conservation and agricultural practices. HCR 27 recommends administrative changes the legislature says will improve Louisiana’s ability to coordinate with other Mississippi River Basin states and to implement in‑state nutrient-reduction measures tied to hypoxia objectives.

Next steps: The resolution was transmitted to the governor; Daigle asked the Restoration Authority to follow the item and support implementation steps that require agency coordination and public transparency.