The continuing battle between energy companies and political forces in Louisiana has been fought in multiple regional courts. However, a ruling on Aug. 1 has dictated that litigation against oil companies is “premature.”
Government leaders in Louisiana, whom had previously supported big oil’s economic support to the state, have recently turned on the industry, claiming that oil companies are a main contributor to the increasingly dire issue of coastal erosion. Among those politicians are Gov. John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Multiple Parishes, which are essentially counties within Louisiana, have since declared suit against the oil industry, claiming certain companies have failed to abide by the Coastal Zone Management Act and that drilling operations have damaged regional coastlines. However, many would dispute the fact that oil companies are the only contributor to coast erosion.
The Associated Press reports that Robert Meadows, a lawyer for Chevron, has stated “It’s just such a vague attempt by the plaintiffs to throw a blanket over an entire industry and hold it singularly responsible for a problem that’s got multiple causes.” The oil industry has pointed to other sources of coastal erosions, such as hurricanes and the Army Corp of Engineers, which have built levees that supposedly interfere with natural silt buildup. The industry also points to the cutting down of coastal trees, which were a natural deterrent of erosion. Nonetheless, certain Parishes maintain their focus on the oil industry.
Jefferson Parish recently faced an unfavorable ruling on this front, with Judicial District Court Judge Stephen Enright saying that “existing administrative remedies must be pursued before a lawsuit for civil damages is pursued. The Parish and [State] Intervenors failed to pursue their administrative remedies and failed to show that the administrative remedy is irreparably inadequate. Accordingly, this lawsuit is premature for failure to exhaust administrative remedies and is dismissed without judgment.”
The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) has held the position that lawsuits against the oil industry are not a true solution to the problem of coastal erosion, and the group heartily agrees with this most recent ruling by Judge Enright.
LOGA said: “The district court’s ruling makes it crystal clear that this litigation scheme is premature and inappropriate. As we have said from the beginning and the court ruling further reiterates, there is already a rigorous administrative process in place to ensure that each and every coastal use permit in the state is in compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act.”
LOGA president Don Briggs had previously stated that the lawsuits against the oil industry seemed to be beneficial only to certain lawyers who were seeking to line their pockets. The group again reiterated this idea, stating: “The only parties that benefit from these premature and unnecessary lawsuits are the small group of trial lawyers who initiated them to advance their own interests under the guise of the public interest.”
The other Parishes, which have filed suit, have yet to receive a meaningful verdict in the courts.
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
- Tim McNallyhttps://energiesmedia.com/author/tim-mcnally/
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