Coastal lawsuits filed against the gas and oil industries in Louisiana may not be over despite one of the parish councils involved in the suits, Plaquemines Parish Council, indicated it favored withdrawing from the litigation last month.
In a vote Oct. 11, the Plaquemines Parish Council voted 4-3 to withdraw from the lawsuits, one vote shy of ending their involvement.
Following November's elections, there is a good chance the new Plaquemines Parish Council will continue with the lawsuits that threaten the energy industry.
According to an article in The Advocate, a number of newly elected Plaquemines Parish officials are likely to be in favor of continuing the lawsuits, including council members John Barthelemy, Stuart Guey and Benny Rousselle. In fact, the only council member who the energy industry may be able to rely on is Trudy Newberry whose husband works in the industry.
Lana Venable of Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch recently talked with the Louisiana Record about the possibility of these lawsuit continuing and what it means that Plaquemines Parish may once again be fighting the energy industry.
“The cases in Plaquemines Parish are expected to set the stage for what happens next with the multitude of others filed by coastal parishes against the oil and gas companies,” Venable said.
Venable said she believes that further legal action against the industry will have a negative effect on the state in a number of categories.
“These kind of lawsuits will only continue to move Louisiana in the wrong direction and further weaken the state’s struggling economy, which has lost thousands of jobs and major manufacturing projects in recent years,” Venable said.
While announcements have not been made regarding the future of the lawsuits, the lead attorney in the lawsuits against the energy industry has indicated the legal action would continue.