Dear Editilla,
Two important pieces of news:
First, last week Louisiana’s Attorney General Buddy Caldwell made public something I've hinted at in my talks: there are on-going conversations about a statewide settlement. On the Jim Engster radio show last week (listen here), Caldwell announced that because of the SLFPAE lawsuit, major oil companies have come to him seeking a statewide settlement.
We've always hoped that the lawsuit would spark a statewide deal. Conversely, we’ve recognized that if the legislature kills the lawsuit, there's no reason for the oil companies to compromise. There is a solution if the state would simply seal it. The governor has turned his back on that possibility. As citizens, lets make sure the legislature does not.
Which brings us to the latest news from Baton Rouge:
You almost did it!
Thanks to your engagement, we were today on the verge of crushing SB 531—a huge victory—in Senate Judiciary Committee A, when its sponsor, Senator Bret Allain (R-Franklin), asked that it be deferred. He knew he didn't have the votes—had there been a roll-call vote, we’d have beaten SB 531 by a vote at least of 5-2 and possibly 6-1.
Rather than accept defeat, Sen. Allain did something highly unusual. He gutted an entirely different (and as yet unknown) bill currently scheduled to be heard on Thursday, May 1, by the Senate Natural Resources Committee—and substitute in its place what he couldn’t get passed by Judiciary-A. It's even possible that our old friend Senator Robert Adley will use one of his bills as a vehicle for this Trojan horse.
At of this writing, we do not know which bill to target—we’ll let you know as soon as we do—nor do we know what the language of the bill will be. That's hardly my idea of sunshine in the legislature.
All we know is that it will be called up in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources on Thursday, May 1.
Please contact the members of this committee. Tell them, “Let the courts decide.” Let the roughly one million people within the jurisdiction of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority keep their rights to go to court.
| Name | ADDRESS | PHONE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senator Gerald Long (Chairman) | P.O. Box 151 Winnfield, LA 71483 |
longg@legis.la.gov | (318) 628-5799 |
| Senator Rick Ward, III (Vice-Chairman) | 3741 Highway 1 Port Allen, LA 70767 |
wardr@legis.la.gov | (225) 246-8838 |
| Senator R.L. "Bret" Allain, II | 600 Main Street Suite 1 Franklin, LA 70538 |
allainb@legis.la.gov | (337) 828-9107 |
| Senator "Jody" Amedee | 2109 S. Burnside Ave. Suite A Gonzales, LA 70737 |
amedeej@legis.la.gov | (225) 644-1526 |
| Senator Norbèrt N. "Norby" Chabert | P.O. Box 2417 Houma, LA 70361 |
chabertn@legis.la.gov | (985) 858-2927 |
| Senator Jean-Paul J. Morrell | 6305 Elysian Fields Ave. Suite 404 New Orleans, LA 70122 |
morrelljp@legis.la.gov | (504) 284-4794 |
| Senator Dan "Blade" Morrish | 119 W. Nezpique Street Jennings, LA 70546 |
morrishd@legis.la.gov | (337) 824-3979 |
| Senator Page Cortez (Interim Member) | 101 W. Farrell Road Bldg. 5, Suite 100 Lafayette, LA 70508 |
cortezp@legis.la.gov | (337) 993-7430 |
You’ve defeated this bill once. Let's beat it again. As I’ve said before, history doesn't just happen.
People make history.
Let's make some history. Let's take
back control of our state. Let's demonstrate that no one is above the
law—not even the oil industry in Louisiana.
Thanks,
John Barry
Restore Louisiana Now
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