Louisiana

John M. Barry: It’s not too late to get oil and gas industry to fix what it broke — but it soon will be

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2023

John M. Barry: It’s not too late to get oil and gas industry to fix what it broke — but it soon will be

Ten years ago the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East– the levee board responsible for protecting the east bank of metro New Orleans– authorized a law firm to sue oil, gas and pipeline companies for their role in coastal land loss. While the lawsuit was my idea, my colleagues on the board — most of whom were Republican — unanimously embraced it for two reasons.

Although land loss has multiple causes, we knew — and scientific studies by oil companies agreed — that industry operations accounted for massive damage, often because companies violated regulations, permits and laws.

We also knew that the state’s $50 billion coastal master plan — whose real cost exceeds $100 billion— had insufficient funding. Once the billions of dollars from the BP settlement ran out, only a trickle of money would be available. So why not expect companies that caused the damage to pay?

U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, then chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, told us that our suit “has merit.” His deputy Kyle Graham said industry leaders “very well understand the liability that’s out there on the coast. There will come a day when there is some sort of settlement. It’s very difficult to see a future in which that isn’t there.” Jerome Zeringue, Graves’ successor as CPRA head and now chair of the House Appropriations Committee, said that “no one denies there is a responsibility and obligation on the part of oil and gas in regard to the effects of oil and gas activity.”

Yet the suit ignited a political firestorm and they all opposed it. I was removed from the CPRA and SLFPAE. Gov. Bobby Jindal demanded SLFPAE withdraw the suit. Legislators introduced 17 bills to kill it and one became law. A judge ruled it unconstitutional, but another judge ruled SLFPAE lacked standing. Our lawsuit failed.

A decade has passed. Considerable progress on coastal restoration has been made, most of it paid for by settlement dollars from BP’s spill. That money ends soon. Outgoing CPRA chief Chip Kline warns that without another funding source, “the progress is going to halt.”

Where’s another source? How about companies that caused so much land loss? The coastal damage the spill did is trivial compared to damage done by decades of industry operations.

After SLFPAE sued, seven coastal parishes also filed. The industry has delayed all trials for a decade, but the first trial will finally start in November. Money awarded to the parishes will go to restoration, but even if all those lawsuits succeed, they won’t provide enough resources.

That’s because most coastal parishes have not filed. Terrebone and Lafourche, the two parishes suffering the most land loss, haven’t, even though the state’s Department of Natural Resources attributed 76% of land loss there to industry activities.

Another problem: No statewide action has been taken to make those who own pipelines, which caused a huge part of the damage, contribute to the solution.

Instead, tax-hating politicians expect taxpayers to bear the entire cost of coastal repair, rather than asking the wealthiest industry in the history of the world to fix what it broke. Besides, coastal restoration protects industry infrastructure; should taxpayers pay for that? The Legislature hasn’t even created the vehicle necessary to implement a $100 million settlement — supported by Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards — between Freeport McMoran and several parishes.

Our politicians say the solution lies in increasing the state’s share of offshore oil and gas revenue. This would cost oil companies nothing; it would only redirect money from the federal treasury to Louisiana. I support that effort and even played a role in passing the 2006 law which first gave Louisiana a share of that revenue, but given current fights over federal spending, no effort to redirect money from the rest of the country to Louisiana will likely succeed. Even if it did, that’s no reason to excuse the oil industry from its liability.

Isn’t it time now to do what everyone knew was right 10 years ago?

The politics shouldn’t be so tough. Polls have found overwhelming support for the idea that industry should repair the damage it did.

It may not be too late for Edwards to act. Or it may be up to the next governor.

Or possibly Graves can get something done. He opposed the lawsuit when he was working for Jindal. Now he’s his own man. Before SLFPAE sued he asked industry representatives to sit down and work out a voluntary agreement. They refused. Five years ago he arranged a congressional hearing on the coast and asked the witnesses, all of whom had opposed the suit except myself, if they would support federal legislation requiring the industry to contribute to the coast. We unanimously said we would.

Someone has to do it, or Louisiana as we know it will disappear. Anyone?

John M. Barry is a former vice president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, a former member of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and author of “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America.”

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Louisiana

North Louisiana braces for icy roads as DOTD implements winter weather plans

Published

5 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

North Louisiana braces for icy roads as DOTD implements winter weather plans

MONROE, La. (KNOE) – As temperatures drop and wintry weather looms, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is taking proactive measures to ensure safety on Northeast Louisiana roads.

Erin Buchanan, spokesperson for the DOTD, emphasized the importance of caution for travelers during this time:
“Don’t drive unless you have to, like it’s really necessary,” she advised.

With potential ice and snow predicted, particularly in Morehouse and Union Parishes, DOTD crews will begin prepping highways, bridges and overpasses with salt and brine to prevent dangerous ice buildup.

DOTD’s winter weather operations will include deploying 50 trucks and approximately 260 personnel, including scouts who monitor road conditions and report back in real time.

While DOTD focuses on maintaining state highways, Buchanan also shared advice for all drivers who may encounter icy roads:
“If it’s absolutely necessary for you to travel, slow down. Don’t think that you can make it through there. Even if to the naked eye it looks like there’s not much accumulation on the bridge or overpass, there still could be some slick spots, even with the best of our measures.”

Local law enforcement is also on alert. The Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Office announced it will deploy extra patrols to assist with roadway safety and respond to emergencies during the expected winter weather.

With winter weather on the horizon, DOTD officials urge residents to stay off the roads if possible. If travel is unavoidable, drivers should reduce speed, avoid sudden movements and exercise extreme caution, particularly on bridges and overpasses.

For the latest updates on road conditions, visit the DOTD’s website or follow their social media channels.

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Louisiana

Louisiana mayor arrested in connection with drug trafficking investigation

Published

13 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana mayor arrested in connection with drug trafficking investigation

One of the US’s youngest municipal mayors was arrested on Tuesday morning in connection with a drug trafficking investigation by authorities in his home state of Louisiana.

The charges against Tyrin Truong, who was 23 when he was elected as mayor of the city of Bogalusa in 2022, include engaging in transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses and the illicit solicitation of sex work.

Truong is among seven defendants charged in the investigation conducted by Louisiana state police and the Bogalusa police department.

According to a statement from the state police, investigators allege that Truong and the others collectively used “social media platforms to distribute [drugs illegally] and manage payments” for them, “further expanding their reach and criminal activity”.

“The investigation also determined that profits from drug sales were used to purchase firearms,” the state police’s statement continued. Some of those guns were then funneled to people who could not legally possess those weapons – and others “were linked to violent crimes in the Bogalusa area”, the statement added.

Truong, now 25, faces counts of transactions involving proceeds from drug offenses, unauthorized use of moveable property and soliciting for prostitutes.

Six others from Bogalusa also are charged with transactions involving drug-related proceeds. They are: MacKenzie Lynn Cefalu, 24; De-Saleem Wali Pittman, 24; Dirul S Pittman, 22; Salehal-Dien Malike Pittman, 26; Tonya Renee Stage, 51; and Devan Michael Williams, 28.

De-Saleem Pittman is accused of distributing illegal drugs and that defendant, Cefalu, Stage and Williams are accused of plotting to do so.

Truong, a Democrat, pulled off what was considered an upset victory when he won the mayor’s seat of Bogalusa by defeating the independent incumbent Wendy Perrette. Having graduated from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, with a degree in African American studies, Truong was the youngest mayor in the history of the 111-year-old city, which has a population of about 10,000.

The Black grandson of a Vietnamese immigrant who fought in the Vietnam war, Truong later told the Louisiana Illuminator that his priorities were to decrease crime and corruption in Bogalusa, which in 2008 had made unflattering national headlines after a woman who had just been initiated into a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan was shot to death.

Truong encountered troubled political waters in April when he received a letter from Louisiana’s legislative auditor informing him that the city’s government had fallen out of compliance with state audit laws. The municipal government had not turned in its 2022 audited financial statement, which was due about six months after Truong took office in January 2023.

That left Bogalusa – which is about 73 miles north of New Orleans – unable to legally receive state money, grants, or federal dollars that would support infrastructure, recreation and law enforcement services.

In a written response, Truong argued that his predecessor did not facilitate a proper transition.

Truong did not immediately comment on authorities’ allegations against him. He had delivered Bogalusa’s state of the city address just four days before his arrest – and said he was elected at an age when many people are still learning “valuable life lessons”.

“I am not different,” Truong said. “I appreciate the trust in confidence you have placed in me, and I don’t take it lightly. Every day, we aim to get better.

“And I ask that we all extend more grace to one another. Mistakes will be made – as they have been. But I was always taught that you get back up, brush it off and apply the lesson for [the] future.”

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Louisiana

Alabama football adds former Louisiana RB via transfer portal: Reports

Published

21 hours ago

January 7, 2025

Press Room

Alabama football adds former Louisiana RB via transfer portal: Reports

Alabama football added a running back through the transfer portal Monday evening, when Dre’Lyn Washington, formerly of Louisiana, opted to join the Crimson Tide, according multiples reports, first from Hayes Fawcett of On3. Washington spent four seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns before entering the transfer portal.

Washington bolsters an Alabama running backs room that was depleted when Justice Haynes transferred to Michigan following the 2024 regular season. Jam Miller remains with the Crimson Tide, after leading the team in rushing at the position, and Richard Young also figures to play a major role in 2025.

Washington finished the 2024 season with 73 carries for 478 yards, a 6.5-yard average, and five touchdowns. He also contributed six catches for 107 yards and another score.

The 5-foot-9, 224-pound Texas native was a three-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He took a visit to Alabama before committing to the Crimson Tide.

In addition to Washington, Miller and Young, the Alabama running back room also currently includes Daniel Hill and Kevin Riley. The Crimson Tide also signed Akylin Dear in the 2025 recruiting class.

The transfer portal is officially closed for Alabama players, following a five-day window that began when the Tide lost the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan to end the 2024 season. Players already in the portal are free to sign with any team that will have them.

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