Oil and gas development permits overwhelmingly approved by Louisiana

[highplainsdem]

Source: Times-Picayune

Oil and gas development permits overwhelmingly approved by Louisiana
By Jen DeGregorio
May 30, 2010, 6:03AM


The catastrophic blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon, still spewing oil from the seafloor off the coast of Louisiana, has shone a bright light on the federal government's lax oversight of Big Oil.

But Louisiana also has a history of accommodation to the industry's role in coastal erosion, which devours the equivalent of a football field of the state's wetlands every 38 minutes.

Any pipeline, oil well or other energy development in Louisiana's 19-parish coastal zone needs a state permit, a stamp of approval saying the work results in "no net loss" of wetlands. State regulators are supposed to weigh a project's environmental risks against its economic benefits, but the balance is tipped overwhelmingly in favor of oil and gas, a Times-Picayune review of five years of state records shows.

In fact, of more than 4,500 coastal permits requested by energy companies between 2005 and 2009, regulators did not deny a single one, the newspaper's review shows. Although some applications were still being evaluated, the vast majority allowed firms to do everything from tap new oil wells to install pipelines buried deep beneath fragile marshland from Calcasieu to Plaquemines parishes. More than 100 permits were granted "after the fact," meaning that companies had already begun their work before approaching the state for permission.

-snip-


Read more: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/05/oil_and_gas_company_developmen.html

[Scuba]

1. Maybe this'll get Jindal to shut up

[karmkay]

8. dream on

he thinks this is his moment to shine--even if it's oil sheen.

[TomCADem]

17. Jindal Appointed Several Members Of American Petroleum Institute On State Environmental Agencies...

So, this is not a big surprise.

[perdita9]

20. Remember when he made fun of 'volcano monitoring'?

The federal government should tell him to solve his own damn problems if he's going to ridicule safety procedures for other states.

[charlesg]

2. So Louisiana never saw a pipeline or oil rig they didn't like

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. Pelican Brief.

[Titanium-Salute]

3. So that's why the fast-talking Jindal has been so excited

He knows Louisiana has been passing out oil and gas permits like TIC TACS at a garlic fair. He's a much at fault as anyone.

[tomm2thumbs]

4. If you compare #'s of offshore of rigs, it's obvious 'which house was passing out all the candy'

added graphic

[4saken]

5. I wonder if they will look back in 20 years...

and ask why the Louisiana coast is a toxic wasteland that everyone but the oil companies want to get as far away from as possible.

Who really expects Bobby Jindal to do anything positive about this? He's a lunatic with his head full of bronze age mythology.

[charlesg]

6. Has he tried exorcism?

[wordpix]

18. La. coast has been a wasteland for more than 20 yrs.

I visited in 1988, breaking down in Biloxi, Miss---the entire region reeked of chemicals and oil back then and that was before all the offshore drilling became the norm.

[nolabear]

26. Really? Funny, I grew up there and return pretty often. Not my experience at all.

I assume that was a motorized vehicle that broke down?

[wordpix]

28. My 20-yr. recollection could be wrong and maybe it was Miss. I was smelling

There were some noxious fumes down there and it WAS along the Gulf coast in the area of oil refineries.

[Synicus Maximus]

27. But then Biloxi is not on the Gulf coast. It is on the Mississippi sound.

The average depth between the "beach" at Biloxi, which by the way is man made,and the barrier islands, where the Gulf starts about 20 or so miles out is only about 20 feet. There is little tidal action except during storms so the water is fairly stagnant.

[SpiralHawk]

7. "We republicons specialize in hypocrisy & FAIL. Smirk." - The Bobster (R)

The Bobster and his FAIL mentor, xCommander AWOL (R)

[primavera]

9. So is homicide justifiable yet?

Plainly nothing will get through to our elected "representatives" other than seeing a few of their fellows' heads spitted on pikes.

[IDemo]

10. Oil gumbo, oil cocktail, oil scampi...

http://www.shrimp-petrofest.org/

:shrug:

[tomm2thumbs]

13. I quote: 'This is an event that will prove that oil and water really do mix.'

I guess it would be the equivalent of having a 'drinking and driving do mix' event after a drunk driver takes out a local family.

Never anyone mind - we've got PR to do!

[BolivarianHero]

11. Pea-Brained Piyush

The only reason the White racists in that state voted for an East Indian is that he was able to convince them that he's as stupid and crazy as they are.

[CountAllVotes]

12. gee look at all of the sponsors for this annual event ...

Note: BRITISH PETROLEUM IS NOT A SPONSOR OF THIS EVENT. Too cheap? :puke: again.

:puke:

:kick:

[wordpix]

14. shrimp and petroleum, what a gumbo - that's quite a group of festival sponsors

[jwirr]

15. Many of them will be broke in another year. Boating is not going to

be a good business to be in.

[wordpix]

19. no boating, fishing, tourism, & a clampdown on oil drilling--the only thing left is farming

Back to the farm, one silver lining if it's organic.

[scentopine]

16. Similar problem here in Texas with permits and air pollution (link)

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid:1035009

[polichick]

21. So depressing, but thanks for posting - important to keep shining a bright light...

...on the corruption at all levels that threatens to destroy this country entirely.

[greiner3]

22. Doesn't anyone remember;

The Pelican Brief?

[still_one]

23. and why does the populous in Louisiana continue to vote the way they do? /nt

[LiberalFighter]

25. Because they are clueless. They are also too busy with their own living.

[wordpix]

29. people who don't care to learn about the issues shouldn't vote if they're clueless

[LiberalFighter]

32. I tend to agree. There are too many that can't handle more than they can bite.

[moondust]

30. Some of the outrage down there is a bit disingenuous.

I'll bet some of the older folks in LA would tell you the truth that they've always known a disaster could very well happen one day with that much drilling going on in the path of hurricanes and all, but they were willing to accept the risk in exchange for the economic benefits.

A thorough investigation should probably include looking into what measures and legislation have been proposed by LA, TX, AL, FL, AK, etc. elected officials at all levels through the years to see how serious they have been with respect to drilling safety and disaster recovery issues.

[Skittles]

31. the "drill baby drill" whores are squealing the loudest

big surprise