The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East recently filed a lawsuit against 97 oil, gas, and pipeline companies to get them to pay their fair share to fund wetlands restoration and flood protection. The oil and gas industry has fought back politically, and is pushing Governor Jindal to pack the Flood Protection Authority with new members, but an independent nominating committee has the power to pick the slate of nominees the Governor must choose from. We need to keep politics out of flood protection. Click here to tell the nominating committee to submit a slate of qualified, independent candidates.Three seats are up for grabs on the Flood Protection Authority, and, under the law, the nominating committee has to submit candidates to the Governor by September 30th. If they don’t meet the deadline, then the Governor can choose his own members.The Flood Protection Authorities were reformed after Hurricane Katrina to make sure that their members are well-qualified, independent, and serving the public’s interest, not the interests of politicians. The nominating committee must not yield to pressure from the oil and gas industry or their political allies. Urge them to act quickly to nominate a qualified slate of candidates that ensures that Flood Protection Authority members remain well-qualified, independent, and focused on serving the public’s interest.Cynthia Sarthou is GRN’s Executive Director.
