The Louisiana Free Enterprise Institute (LFEI) recently said it is not surprised by the results of its recent survey of Plaquemines Parish residents that found most are against the Parish Council's participation in lawsuits that blames coastal erosion on oil, gas and pipeline companies.
Plaquemines Parish is a participant in the suits that allege the companies were responsible for the massive coastal erosion that is taking place in the state. The suits claim the gas and oil industries need to pay for their alleged damages or spend years in court over the issue.
Yet, residents of Plaquemines Parish, one of six parishes that Gov. John Bel Edwards has enlisted to stand up to the energy associations, are standing with the gas and oil industries, rather than confirming the governor's statements about environmental damages.
Marie Centanni
| Louisiana Association of Business and Industry website photo
The institute's survey found that 57 percent of voters in Plaquemines Parish oppose the lawsuit, with 99 percent believing that the industry is important to the parish economy. LFEI believes that these types of numbers are to be expected.
“The findings are not surprising, and this community overwhelmingly supports the oil and gas industry as a critical piece of their economic puzzle and their future, and they value its role in their own lives," Marie Centanni of the Louisiana Free Enterprise Institute told the Louisiana Record.
In Plaquemines Parish alone, the gas and oil industries provide more than 1,500 jobs with a $264 million payroll.
"Perhaps the most telling finding was that 84 percent of respondents believe the industry is important to their own family’s quality of life," Centanni said. "The devastating impact of frivolous lawsuits against the oil and gas industry is a tangible, real threat that hits home for people in Plaquemines Parish, and they need to be heard.”