Re-post from thepoliticaldesk.com – Last week, we detailed all of the contributions Gov. Bobby Jindal has received from trial lawyers, landowners and others who are involved with one side of the legacy litigation issue.
This week, we’re providing details on the other side. Specifically, how five of the lawmakers leading the legacy debate collected more than $43,000 in contributions in 2011 alone from the oil and gas industry and other related parties. Continue reading
Another feather in the cap for BIG OIL as a former BP employee Kurt Mix was arrested and charged with two counts of obstruction of justice in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans. Continue reading
From the Baton Rouge Advocate – State Rep. Neil Abramson took a few minutes out of the House Civil Law and Procedure committee he chairs last week to point out that Jimmy Faircloth called him from the floor of the Louisiana House of Representatives and tried to intimidate him in “a secluded corner” of the State Capitol.
Abramson sponsors House Bill 618, which is a legislative fix to legacy lawsuits that oil companies back but landowners do not. It is the first of more than a dozen legacy lawsuit bills to clear committee and will be voted on by the full House later this week.
Faircloth, the governor’s former executive counsel who now is representing large private landowners in legacy lawsuit debate, answered by saying he was only alerting Abramson, as a courtesy, of possible future attacks. Copies of Abramson’s resume have been making the rounds over various news outlets during the past few weeks.
Abramson is a shareholder in a New Orleans law firm and defends oil companies against landowners’ legacy lawsuits. Faircloth said some could construe that as a conflict of interest.
Abramson responded that legislators routinely handle bills for the industry in which they work because they have the knowledge of the industry’s nuances and officials, plus it is legal.
Later in the week Baton Rouge lawyer Don Carmouche, who represents landowners in legacy lawsuits, held a press conference to announce he was filing a complaint against Abramson with the Board of Ethics. Officials with the ethics board are legally forbidden from commenting on such complaints.
Don Carmouche discusses why ethics violations are being filed against Representative Neil Abramson.
50 lobbyists bought and paid for by Big Oil and Gas Companies
are working in the Capitol to try to steal your constitutional rights.
Don’t let them sell you out.
You may remember that you helped beat them last year. Now, they are at it again. For years, Big Oil and Gas Companies have leased Louisiana lands to mine the riches…and then left a big mess to clean up.
Oil and gas doesn’t want to pay for the harm they have done to our land and water.
If HB 460 and 618 and amendments pass this Legislative Session, our rights to go to court to force the corporations which have ruined Louisiana lands to pay for cleaning them up will be taken away. Even BP could be off the hook.
Big Oil and Gas hire the best lawyers and lobbyists money can buy. They don’t want you to hire any lawyer. Ever. Period.
Call these legislators to tell them you
oppose HB 460 and 618
before this Wednesday, April 25, 2011
The key members we need to target on House Civil Law are:
Jeffery “Jeff” J. Arnold
(504) 361-6600 (o)
Larep102@legis.la.gov
New Orleans
Randal L. Gaines
(985) 652-1228 (o)
gaines@legis.la.gov
LaPlace
Mike Huval
(337) 332-3331 (o)
badonb@legis.state.la.us
Breaux Bridge
Patrick O. Jefferson
(318) 927-2519
jeffersonpo@legis.la.gov
Homer
Gregory A. Miller
(985) 764-9991
millerg@legis.la.gov
Norco
Clay Schexnayder
(225) 473-6016
schexnayderc@legis.la.gov
Sorrento
Robert Shadoin
(318) 251-5039
shadoinr@legis.la.gov
Ruston
Alfred C. Williams
(225) 382-3243
billiotr@legis.state.la.us
Baton Rouge
Senator Gerald Long
longg@legis.la.gov
(318) 628-5799
Winnfield
Senator Rick Ward
wardr@legis.la.gov
(225) 246-8838
Port Allen
Senator Bret Allain
allainb@legis.la.gov
(337) 828-9107
Franklin
Senator Jody Amedee
amedeej@legis.la.gov
(225) 644-1526
Gonzales
Senator Norby Chabert
chabertn@legis.la.gov
(985) 858-2927
Houma
Senator JP Morrell
morrelljp@legis.la.gov
(504) 284-4794
New Orleans
Senator Blade Morrish
morrishd@legis.la.gov
(337) 824-3979
Jennings
Senator Ben Nevers
neversb@legis.la.gov
(985) 732-6863
Bogalusa, LA
Senator Dan Claitor
claitord@legis.la.gov
(225) 765-0206
Baton Rouge
Senator Daniel “Danny” Martiny
martinyd@legis.la.gov
(504) 834-7676
Metairie
Senator Edwin R. Murray
murraye@legis.la.gov
(504) 945-0042
New Orleans
Senator Rick Ward, III
wardr@legis.la.gov
(225) 246-8838
Port Allen
The minutes you take to stop this effort by the Big Oil and Gas executives to steal your rights will save all of us a life-time of burdens.
Today, April 19, 3 p.m., Steps of the Baton Rouge Capitol, a MAJOR Ethics Complaint will be filed by long-time expert on landowner rights Attorney Don Carmouche regarding legacy legislation now before the state lawmakers.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION….
LOUISIANA LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 9:30 A.M.
THE HOUSE CIVIL LAW COMMITTEE, CHAIR NEIL ABRAMSON, will go against the wishes of his colleagues and hold hearings on HB 618, a bill which would weaken Act 312 and thus prevent remediation of polluted lands by the oil and gas companies which did the damage. Help us stop Neil Abramson, who works for a private law firm which represents oil and gas in legacy lawsuits. Rep. Abramson doesn’t want oil and gas companies held accountable and doesn’t want Louisiana lands to get cleaned up from oil contamination. Continue reading
Both sides agree on the goal of enabling the responsible party, often a major oil company that held a lease decades ago, to accept responsibility for cleanup while allowing plaintiffs to pursue claims for damages separately.
Discussions have taken place behind closed doors, in Capitol hallways and at legislative crawfish boils, but the high-stakes issue of oilfield contamination claims, or “legacy lawsuits,” got its first public hearing of the session today at a meeting of the Joint Natural Resources Committee. No specific bills were considered at the information hearing, at which representatives of oil companies and attorneys for landowners laid out their differences over how to settle the mass of litigation and to clean up land and water that were polluted decades ago. After two and a half hours, Committee Chairman Sen. Gerald Long, R-Natchitoches, urged the parties to continue trying to reach a resolution. Continue reading
By Mike Stagg – The April 20, 2010, explosion on BP’s Macondo deep water well — in addition to taking the lives of 11 workers — shattered the political myth that for decades had protected the oil and gas industry here from any serious scrutiny.
Approximately 4.9 million barrels (a staggering 205,800,000 gallons) of crude oil flowing unchecked into the Gulf for almost four months will have that effect. The damage inflicted by that disaster on Louisiana’s people and environment will linger for decades. Continue reading
The expected clash over “legacy lawsuits” dealing with oilfield contamination was put off until next week by Judiciary A Committee Chairman Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa. On Monday April 16th, there will be an informational hearing on legacy lawsuits, and Tuesday April 17th will be the actual vote on the matter.
More information to come….
