Can Louisiana lawmakers succeed in retroactively overthrowing a lawsuit by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority against 97 oil and gas companies, all while the state's coastline continues to disappear at alarming rates?
"The coast of Louisiana is crumbling into the Gulf of Mexico at an alarming rate. Over the last 80 years, it’s lost nearly 2,000 square miles. That’s as big as all of Rhode Island. Now a political fight has broken out in the state legislature over who’s going to help pay to try and repair the damage," says Gwen Ifill in introducing a report by Hari Sreenivasan.
Sreenivasan details the shocking scale of the losses, as well as causes like dams and levees that block replenishing sediment, sinking wetlands, rising sea levels, and 10,000 miles of canals dredged by oil companies.
The marshlands that have been destroyed by the oil company canals are of particular concern to New Orleans, for instance. Says Sreenivasan: "These marshes are not only a valuable ecosystem for the entire Gulf, but for hundreds of years, this huge network of wetlands has defended the city of New Orleans from major storms." The risk is such that "[last] July, alleging that the oil and gas industry’s damage to the wetlands made flooding in the city more likely, the flood protection authority sued 97 oil and gas companies."
Enter the state legislature: "lawmakers who support [the oil] industry have been crafting different bills to retroactively kill the lawsuit. A bill was introduced to limit which state agencies were allowed to bring lawsuits. Another bill changed how the flood control board was appointed. Another even challenged how that board hired its lawyers."
Developments are unfolding quickly: "The lawsuit suffered a blow when the state Senate passed a bill that would retroactively suspend the flood authority’s ability to sue. That bill is expected to be voted on later this week."
FULL STORY: As Louisiana’s coastline shrinks, a political fight over responsibility grows
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
Dallas Surburb Bans New Airbnbs
Plano’s city council banned all new permits for short-term rentals as concerns about their impacts on housing costs grow.
Divvy Introduces E-Bike Charging Docks
New, circular docks let e-bikes charge at stations, eliminating the need for frequent battery swaps.
How Freeway Projects Impact Climate Resilience
In addition to displacement and public health impacts, highway expansions can also make communities less resilient to flooding and other climate-related disasters.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.