Industry Furious After La.Coastal Land Loss Settlement

摘要

For years,the energy industry in Louisiana has presented a united front in fighting lawsuits claiming it has caused catastrophic land loss.But with Freeport-McMoRan opting to settle its cases for $100 million,gas and oil companies fear this crack in the armor could wind up costing them billions.At the heart of the slow-moving melee are claims by coastal parishes and the city of New Orleans that almost 100 years of drilling wells and dredging canals has damaged the coastal flood plains,which has speeded up the destruction of the coastline and removed a barrier to hurricanes(NGW Apr.8’19).