An independent levee board, a post-Katrina reform believed crucial to the city's future, has fallen prey to Gov. Jindal's opposition to a lawsuit against Big Oil.
Last week, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council approved a plan to spend fines levied on BP for the 2010 spill. So far, however, there's little money in the fund. And even if BP ends up paying close to its maximum penalty of $17.1 billion, it's unclear how much will go to Louisiana.
Attorney General fires off press release, and coastal chief flames attorney on Twitter.
An "olive branch" extended by the levee authority has turned to ashes.
The Jindal administration has contended that a local levee authority acted improperly in suing oil and gas companies.
A local levee authority has offered to hold off on some of its lawsuit against oil and gas companies if the state can get the industry to discuss voluntarily paying for damage. But the comments by the Flood Protection Authority and the Jindal administration don't signal much movement on their key disagreement.
With tropical wave threatening the Gulf, early storm protection is activated — but not whole system.
They questioned why the board acted alone and and suggested that it's acting outside of its legal authority.
Legislators have said they want to hear why the Flood Protection Authority filed its suit against oil and gas companies. The lawsuit partly blames companies for coastal loss and call upon them to fix the damage or help pay for increased costs of flood protection.
The environmental groups have long blamed oil and gas interests for coastal devastation — as does the lawsuit.
