Dear Senate President John Alario, Jr. and Senate Judiciary A Chairman Ben Nevers:
On behalf of the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, I write to express our strong support of Senate Bill 443 and its companion House Bill 618 — legislation sponsored by Senator J.P. Morrell and Representative Neil Abramson, respectively, that would help resolve so called “legacy lawsuits.” These lawsuits are simply abusive and being pursued by a handful of plaintiffs’ attorneys seeking to gain a windfall by circumventing established state procedures to fairly address alleged environmental damage claims.
With American families suffering from record-high gas prices, it is essential for policymakers, at all levels of government, to remove barriers to domestic energy production. Unfortunately, these abusive lawsuits arc harming oil and gas production in Louisiana, eliminating jobs, and contributing to higher energy prices nationwide.
We urge the Senate Judiciary A Committee to promptly and favorably vote out SB 443 at its hearing on Tuesday, May 8. Its House counterpart has already passed that body by a commanding majority.
We look forward to our continued work with the legislature to see the principles of these good bills become law because putting jobs over trial lawyer profits is of paramount importance.
Lisa A. Rickard
U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform
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Hey spin doctor. Get the facts correct and not just from the big oil companies. The true fact is that there would be no legacy suits if the oil companies would not have contaminated the environment in the first place. Secondly, there would be no legacy suit if the big oil companies would just go the agency on their own(as provided in the law) and submit a cleanup plan on their own. They don’t even have to admit they are negligent or liable. If you drive around louisiana’s dirt roads you will see the abandoned tanks, pits and oilfield equipment. Maybe you have been in the office too much to see what is actually going on.