Levee authority to bring suit against 100 O&G companies regarding wetland loss

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great Lens article

this is going to be a huge battle. the levee board is going in armed with study after study after study and nearly every coastal scientist on their side. there is no doubt O&G activities have contributed to erosion and subsidence, but i think the levee board will greatly be burdened to prove the extent. the oil and gas companies will undoubtedly argue that the Miss River levees impeded natural sediment deposition and were the primary cause of land loss as well as excavation of navigation channels such as MRGO, HNC, and so on.

as a neutral observer, i think this could be desperation on the part of the levee board to figure out how to afford the operation and maintenance costs of the new 17 billion dollar system they now have. it also could be a real turning point in the effort to fund large scale coastal restoration if they win. i don't think we would see a wholesale departure of oil and gas companies from the state since most heavy exploration has shifted to deep water rather than the marshes in question.