Image courtesy of NOAA.With hurricane season starting June 1st, the Louisiana Legislature has punched a hole in our coastal lines of defense. On May 29th, the House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 469, which retroactively blocks the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East lawsuit against 90+ oil and gas companies for their damage to coastal wetlands. The Senate concurred less than 24 hours later, and the legislation now goes to Governor Bobby Jindal.Will Governor Jindal stick taxpayers with the bill for coastal restoration and let the oil and gas industry off the hook for their damage to our wetlands? He has been a loud critic of the flood authority lawsuit since the beginning, and his friends in the legislature pushed SB 469 through. But that doesn’t mean we should let him off easy. Take a minute and send him an email. If you’re on Twitter, so is he @BobbyJindal and you should let him know #NoBigOilBailout #vetoSB469. Include us @HealthyGulf.The Louisiana legislature may have sided with the oil and gas industry again, but the tide is turning. Our elected officials had to declare their loyalty publicly, and we are grateful for the many who stood up for their constituents, flood protection, and restoring our coast. They deserve your thanks. And for those who decided that you should pay to clean up the oil and gas industry’s mess, and that many of us should go another hurricane season with inadequate flood protection, remember their names.Steve Murchie is GRN’s Campaign Director.
