Environment
Louisiana refineries are among the top U.S. water polluters, report finds
Water contamination linked to oil and gas refineries is just as bad as the air pollution they produce, according to a new report. The Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) listed multiple facilities in Louisiana among the worst offenders in its report titled “Oil’s Unchecked Outfalls.” The group also calls out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) […]
‘The Rock’ residents once lived off the land. They blame a burn pit for turning it toxic.
GRANT PARISH – Their chickens had leukemia. The Hoskins family, residents of a community outside Colfax known as The Rock, wonder how long they had been eating the eggs of the cancerous birds they raised outside their home. It haunts them. It’s one of the nightmares they and others in The Rock say they have […]
Offshore wind will need major investments in transmission, supply chain, reports say
Achieving the aggressive offshore wind power goals of the federal government and individual states will require billions of dollars in spending on transmission infrastructure, “unprecedented” cooperation between grid operators and federal and state agencies, and would be aided by major buildout of a domestic supply chain, per a pair of reports released this week. Coastal […]
High levels of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in southeast Louisiana drinking water spur concern
NEW ORLEANS – The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans conducted a study last summer on the level of chemicals flowing in the Mississippi River, the central source of drinking water for many communities in southeast Louisiana. The results were not comforting. The researchers found high levels of PFAS, a group of synthetic, potentially harmful […]
New plan to protect Louisiana’s coast begins months-long path to legislative approval
Could the Louisiana of 2073 face less flood risk from hurricanes than it does today? According to Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority officials, the answer could be “yes”– if their latest coastal master plan, released as a draft earlier this month, is fully implemented and predictions for more moderate environmental conditions prevail. Officials brought the […]
Report ranks Louisiana low for electric utility reliability, environmental impact
A nationwide comparison of electric utility performance by an Illinois consumer advocacy group found that customers in states that are heavily reliant on fuel oil and natural gas, as in the Northeast and South, tend to pay more than those with larger amounts of carbon-free generation, among other findings. It also placed Louisiana at or […]
Entergy to shift another $1.5B in storm costs to customers
Utility regulators approved a request Wednesday from Entergy Louisiana to bill customers $1.5 billion over 15 years to cover the costs of repairs the company made after Hurricane Ida. The measure involved a new strategy in which the regulators negotiated with Entergy to obtain a small reduction in the cost of the storm fee rather […]
Tight-knit Colfax community combats open-burn pit: ‘We are the flush toilet…’
COLFAX, Louisiana – The drive to Terry Brown’s farm is peaceful and scenic no matter which route one takes. The Central Louisiana roadside is lined with woodlands, pecan groves, vast open fields and, nearer to the Browns, a well-kept horse farm. The 71-year-old Colfax native planted 50,000 daffodil bulbs in fields where watermelons and cotton […]
U.S. House GOP would make it easier for feds to give public lands away to states
U.S. House Republicans included in the new rules for the chamber they passed this month a provision meant to make it easier for Congress to give away public lands. The provision is a fairly technical piece of the 55-page rules package. It affects internal House accounting and requires that anytime Congress were to give any […]
Slave descendant wants Louisiana lawmakers to probe tax incentive deals
A descendant of slaves from St. John the Baptist Parish wants Louisiana legislators to take a more active role in auditing lucrative tax incentive deals between local governments and corporations. Her push comes after officials in St. John signed away millions in tax revenue to have a massive grain elevator built next to a historic […]
Researchers clash over whether freshwater diversion is helpful or harmful to coast
Standing on a crude wooden boardwalk and wielding a 5-foot-long shiny metal instrument called a Russian peat corer, Theryn Henkel drives its spear-like end deep into the marsh of the Davis Pond freshwater diversion on the west bank of St. Charles Parish. Henkel, a coastal resources scientist at the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), […]
Analysts expect Louisiana oil & gas sector to shrink or pivot to clean fuels this year
Louisiana’s oil and gas industry is expected to shrink slightly this year due to a combination of economic and geopolitical factors, experts who follow the sector say, though they also forecast potential growth in the new energy and industrial sectors. Most analysts are predicting some kind of economic slowdown during the first half of 2023. […]