Photo source: Port of Iberia
The following was penned by Port of Iberia Director Craig Romero. Romero has also been a former Iberia Parish President and state senator from the Iberia Parish area.
Everyone needs to read this. South Louisiana is trying to make an economic recovery from a very depressed oil and gas industry. These trial lawyers are trying very hard to force feed coastal parishes into filing lawsuits against our entire customer base-every oil and gas company that ever did business in south Louisiana. Our way of life in terms of providing jobs for our children and grandchildren will go away forever. This convoluted cause of action being concocted by greedy trial lawyers against oil and gas companies for wells drilled 30 to 40 years ago claiming they violated permits they obtained way back then. Former Attorney General Richard Ieyoub attempted to do the exact same thing when he was in office by signing contingency fee contracts with trial lawyers to clean up old oilfield sites. In his contingency fee contracts Ieyoub allowed for trial lawyers to estimate the costs of the cleanup rather than environmental scientists. The next state election cycle Attorney General Ieyoub became ex-Attorney General Ieyoub and the people of Louisiana sent him to his house! Legal fees that trial lawyers are aiming at today with these coastal lawsuits are in the tens of millions of dollars-while the rest of us go home with no job to provide for our families. End of story.
Read more: Terrebonne enters oilfield fray: DA commencing environment damage probe
