MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL ANNOUNCES CITY OF NEW ORLEANS LAWSUIT AGAINST OIL & GAS COMPANIES OVER COASTAL EROSION
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today announced that the City of New Orleans filed suit against a number of oil, gas and pipeline companies whose actions have damaged our coastal wetlands and threatened the safety of our people.
“New Orleans has been harmed. The people of our City have been harmed, and our way of life is threatened by the damage done to our coastal wetlands,” said Mayor Cantrell. “The land that’s been lost was a protective barrier defending us from hurricanes and floods. If current trends hold, New Orleans will be a literal coastal city within the next fifty years--- with no protective land barriers. Given the challenges we face when it comes to our infrastructure, the additional strain of these damages demands action. Getting our fair share means being made whole by the companies who have harmed us.”
Analysts from Tulane, LSU and the Rand Corporation have concluded that over the next fifty years, coastal land loss could cost the state of Louisiana over $133 billion in lost capital stock.
“We are filing this lawsuit to ensure that the residents of Orleans Parish are safe, our economy is protected, and to help restore our coast.” said City Attorney Sunni LeBeouf.
New Orleans joins six neighboring parishes who have filed lawsuits against the oil & gas industry.
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