Last night the Louisiana House approved a bill that retroactively halts a lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Agency-East against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies for damage the industry caused to the state’s hurricane buffering wetlands.
While this is a dark moment, it’s not the end. Especially since the travesty has gotten the attention of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Please check out this segment.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Anthony Bertucci calls in the status of the floodwall at London Avenue Canal’s upper breach near Robert E. Lee Boulevard. Bertucci is from New Orleans District’s Construction Division.
After the Army Corps of Engineers’ levees broke during Katrina, the residents of New Orleans, and the whole country, found out that we cannot trust the Corps to properly design and build levees.
Louisiana residents voted for a new paradigm of levee board governance better suited to a major marine terminal like New Orleans. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authorities East and West were formed. But now, the historic legislation, which put Louisiana on the cutting edge, may be gutted by proposed bills by Senators Robert Adley and Bret Allain.
Site of 17th Street Canal breach before work crews arrived. Photo/Matt Ewalt
The BGR report wrote, “the devastating toll taken by the 2005 levee failures…prompted voters statewide to demand a different approach to flood protection in New Orleans.”
The report, said SB 79 “vastly increased the governor’s influence over the boards’ decision-making processes.”
Levees.org agrees and believes SB 79 will undo the historic legislation passed after the Army Corps of Engineers’ levees failed the people of the City. SB 79’s permanent changes appear to have one goal: to protect the Oil and Gas Industry.
