The state Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on Sen. Robert Adley's S.B. 469, which would retroactively prevent levee boards from filing suit against the oil and gas industry.
The state Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on Sen. Robert Adley's S.B. 469, which would retroactively prevent levee boards from filing suit against the oil and gas industry.
At the heart of the bill is an amendment from Sen. Bret Allain (R-Franklin), who basically took the language from his S.B. 531 and attached it Adley's S.B. 469. Allain's original bill was slated to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 29, but was pulled after it appeared the legislation wouldn't receive favorable treatment. Allain then took the language from his bill and added it to Adley's S.B. 469, which on May 1 was approved by the Natural Resources Committee.
Despite calls from the public and press to let the levee board's lawsuit against 97 oil and gas companies for environmental damages be heard in the courts, Adley and his fellow lawmakers seem determined to handle the issue legislatively, which will ultimately mean a quick death for the suit.
On Tuesday, both the Times-Picayune and musician-environmentalist Zachary Richard weighed in on the issue, calling on lawmakers to end the fight against the suit and let the courts decide.