The Latest: Oil industry claims validation in wetlands suit

NEW ORLEANS – The Latest on a federal appeals court’s refusal to revive a Louisiana flood board’s lawsuit against the oil and gas industry over damage to the state’s fragile coast (all times local).

12:30 p.m.

Oil industry representatives are claiming validation while a Louisiana flood board’s attorneys are considering their next move following a long-awaited federal appeals court ruling.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal on Friday refused to revive a 2013 lawsuit filed against scores of oil and gas companies by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East. The suit blames the companies for drilling and canal dredging that contributed to a loss of wetlands protecting New Orleans from hurricanes.

The appeals court affirmed a 2015 decision by U.S. District Judge Nanette Jolivette Brown.

The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association issued a joint statement applauding the ruling.

An attorney for the flood authority said the industry still needs to pay its fair share for coastal restoration.

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9:50 a.m.

A federal appeals court has refused to revive a Louisiana levee board’s lawsuit blaming dozens of oil and gas companies for damage to the state’s fragile coast.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling on Friday upheld a federal judge’s 2015 decision in favour of energy companies that argued the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East lacked legal standing to bring damage claims.

The board had argued that damage to the coast done by decades of drilling and canal dredging by energy companies contributed to the loss of coastal wetlands that form a hurricane buffer for New Orleans.