Louisiana State Agency Sues Oil Companies For Coastal Damage

A Louisiana state agency has filed a lawsuit seeking billions of dollars in damages from dozens of energy companies, including BP and Exxon Mobil. The allegation is that thousands of miles of canals the companies have constructed in the coastal wetlands have brought the ecology “to the brink of destruction,” compromising an important buffer against hurricane damage. Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal distanced himself from the lawsuit, claiming the levee board that filed it “has been hijacked by a group of trial lawyers.”