“The Lawbreaking is Ongoing”: Louisiana Levee Board Sues BP, Exxon, Shell, Chevron for Coast Damage

Beyond the well-known devastation caused by the BP oil spill in 2010, the oil and gas industry in Louisiana has also been blamed for destroying coastal wetlands that provide a vital barrier against flooding from storms like Hurricane Katrina. Speaking from the front lines of this issue in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, we hear from community organizer Jacques Morial, the son of the city’s first African-American mayor, Dutch Morial. We are also joined by John Barry, vice president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority — East, the levee board responsible for protecting most of greater New Orleans. Barry led the authority’s lawsuit against 97 oil and gas companies for destruction of the coast. On Monday, following pressure from Gov. Bobby Jindal, who opposed the lawsuit, the board’s nominating committee decided not to renominate Barry to another term on the flood board. Barry is also an award-winning historian and author of several books, including “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America.”

Source Article from http://www.nationofchange.org/lawbreaking-ongoing-louisiana-levee-board-sues-bp-exxon-shell-chevron-coast-damage-1380640193

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