HJR 51 Summary

• Requests Congress to annually indemnify Alabama from Gulf of Mexico offshore royalty revenues for approximately 930,027 acres of lost sixteenth section lands originally designated for school purposes when Alabama was admitted to the Union on March 2, 1819.

• Notes that much of the original sixteenth section land was underwater or valueless, and Congress set aside 100,000 acres of indemnity lands in 1841, with Alabama claiming an additional 43,082 acres of productive land as compensation.

• States the federal government received $14,500,998,847 in Gulf of Mexico Offshore Royalty Revenues for fiscal year 2008 from land that is now highly productive.

• Requests Alabama's Congressional Delegation actively pursue annual indemnification through necessary legislation and administrative action to ensure Alabama receives proper compensation for lost sixteenth section lands.

• Directs Alabama to pass legislation equitably distributing any offshore royalty revenue funds received from Congress to counties based on the number of lost sixteenth section acres in each county, as calculated by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.