Royalty-screwed: Big Oil likes to confuse severance taxes with cleanup costs
Using improved offshore royalties for coastal restoration would still mean taxpayers were paying for the industry's malfeasance.
Tag: Coastal restoration
New research: Ancient bayous pull water from the Mississippi, creating ‘missing river’
The diverted fresh water amounts to a river bigger than New York's Hudson. When the river is high, it could undermine levees along the Mississippi, but its impact on Barataria Bay's lucrative fisheries — a flashpoint in the fight over the state's Master Plan for coastal restoration — remains unclear.
Why Jindal is so reluctant to make Big Oil pay for ravaging Louisiana’s coast
The Jindal team's attack on the Flood Authority lawsuit is complex and hard to follow — a sure sign that they've been thrown on the defensive.
Amount of BP fines to fund Louisiana’s coastal restoration still a promise, not a certainty
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.
Suing oil and gas interests to save the coast: author John Barry weighs in
Barry, a member of the levee authority that is suing oil and gas companies for damage to the coast, writes: "We have been criticized for trying to collect from an industry which was complying with the law at the time it conducted its operations. We believe that they were never in compliance with the law."
Key disagreements remain between levee board, Jindal administration over coastal loss lawsuit
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.
Lawmakers criticize Flood Protection Authority for suing oil and gas companies
They questioned why the board acted alone and and suggested that it's acting outside of its legal authority.
Live blog Wednesday: Flood Protection Authority appears before legislators
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.
Major green groups keeping mum on flood authority lawsuit opposed by Jindal
The environmental groups have long blamed oil and gas interests for coastal devastation — as does the lawsuit.
Flood Authority, suit against oil companies safe from political meddling — for now
Will outraged state officials scuttle a major post-Katrina reform in their effort to please the oil industry?
