Landrieu is chair of the U.S. Senate committee that deals with energy policy. The lawsuit puts her between two areas in which she's been a strong advocate: rebuilding Louisiana's coast and supporting the oil and gas industry.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu distanced herself from a lawsuit filed by a New Orleans-area levee board against more than 90 oil and gas companies, saying lawsuits aren't going to save Louisiana's coast.
But Landrieu also Monday wouldn't wade into the ongoing legislative debate about whether state lawmakers should pass bills sought by Gov. Bobby Jindal to nullify the lawsuit. Landrieu says that's a state decision, not a federal one.
Landrieu is chair of the U.S. Senate committee that deals with energy policy. The lawsuit puts her between two areas in which she's been a strong advocate: rebuilding Louisiana's coast and supporting the oil and gas industry.
In its lawsuit, the levee board sued the oil and gas companies, blaming their drilling activities for coastal erosion in the state's vulnerable wetlands.