Despite warnings from Louisiana Attorney General Bobby Caldwell and other attorneys that Senate Bill 469 could have the unintended consequence of impacting outstanding claims against BP for economic losses from the 2010 oil spill, Governor Bobby Jindal has signed Senate Bill 469 into law. Following a review of the bill, the Attorney General had called the language of Senate Bill 469 “vaguely broad.” Caldwell and other legal experts expressed concerns about the retroactivity language in the bill.
The bill limits the governmental entities in Louisiana which can file lawsuits over permits in coastal areas to the state, the secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, parish governments with coastal management plans, and local district attorneys for parishes without a plan.
The President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association called the signing of the bill “a huge victory for the oil and gas industry as well as the economy for the state of Louisiana.” Opponents of the bill have deemed it to be “governance at its worse, poorly written, for the worst of reasons, with no public benefit.” Opponents have vowed to challenge Senate Bill 469 in court.
For more information, contact Toni Ellington at (504) 599-8500.
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