Oil and gas companies will not have to pay for environmental damage to Louisiana's coastal wetlands.

Judge dismisses lawsuit against oil and gas companies in Louisiana

Eagle Ford

NEW ORLEANS, February 16, 2015 – On February 13, US District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East (SLFPA-East) against more than 95 oil and gas companies, including super-majors BP, Shell, Chevron and ExxonMobil.

Filing the suit in 2013, the SLFPA-East accused oil and gas companies of constructing more than 16,000 kilometres of oil and gas pipelines through the state’s coastal wetlands, resulting in significant environmental damage. According to the Department of Interior, oil and gas activity has contributed to 15-59 percent of the erosion.

Had Judge Brown ruled in favour of the SLFPA-East, the companies would have been collectively obligated to pay more than $50 billion for environmental clean up and restoration.

Over the past 90 years, more than 3,050 square kilometres of Louisiana’s coast has been lost to erosion. The state has seen its sea levels rise at two times the global rate within the last 50 years.