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BIG OIL AND GAS TRY TO SNEAK OUT BAD BILL

5/15/2012

Call your Senator today!!
Senator Dan Claitor 7520 Perkins Road Suite 160 Baton Rouge, LA 70808
(225) 765-0206 claitord@legis.la.gov
Senator Ben Nevers 724 Avenue F Bogalusa, LA 70427
(985) 732-6863 neversb@legis.la.gov
Senator Daniel "Danny" Martiny 131 Airline Highway
Suite 201 Metairie, LA 70001 (504) 834-7676
martinyd@legis.la.gov
Senator Edwin R. Murray
1540 N. Broad Street New Orleans, LA 70119
(504) 945-0042
murraye@legis.la.gov

Why doesn’t Big Oil and Gas Answer for Historic Lack of Action on
Pollution? If they acted, we wouldn’t have legacy lawsuits

When the House and Senate Natural Resources Committees
asked all parties involved in the legacy lawsuit debate now before the
Legislature to work out a compromise, Big Oil and Gas ignored the
spirit of that request and used Rep. Neil Abramson to sneak a bad bill
out under the guise that it is necessary to hurt trial attorneys, the health
of our citizens be damned.
As exposed at LouisianaTruth.org, Big Oil and Gas has a history in
Louisiana of saying one thing and doing another. See What Did the Oil
Companies Know and When? at www.LouisianaTruth.Org
In fact, what Rep. Abramson's bill does is help the 50 oil
and gas lobbyists in Baton Rouge earn a nice pay day while
the citizens of Louisiana lose their rights to protect their land
and waters from a legacy of oil and gas pollution. In other words,
oil and gas get access to the decision makers in government, but
the average landowner doesn't.

Link :   www.louisianatruth.org

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Help our Orleans Parish School Children!

5/9/2012

Sign this petition now to get $6 million for public
schools in Orleans Parish

Sign by May 15

Ask the Orleans Parish School Board to help
our kids get all the money they deserve.

Link :   stand.org/louisiana/action/dont-shortchange-our-children

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America's New Party: The WHIGs

5/1/2012


Political commentator Chuck Morse examines in his new book, the
WHIG Manifesto, how American Iraqi and Afghan war veterans are
organizing a new political party that is neither liberal or conservative but dedicated to
fighting for a more unified country.
Fearing modern politics is tearing at the fabric of the American system,
the new party is reviving a movement that traces its roots back to the American
Revolution. The party has run local and state candidates with success in Nebraska, Virginia, Massachusetts.
Mr. Morse speaks to modern-day political issues through the eyes of WHIG activists.
Find out more by emailing him at chuckmorse4@gmail.com

Link :   trineday.com/paypal_store/product_pages/9781936296934-A_Whig_Manifesto/index.html


Attachment:   tineday 1.jpg

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Treacherous Waters: Big Oil could bypass clean-up standards with HB 618

4/25/2012

Big Oil would have a single leverage point to get away with poisoning Louisiana ground, surface, and drinking waters!!!

State remediation standards exist for a reason. HB 618 has the potential to give them the authority to create clean up plans that don't meet those very standards.

Sound like a good idea to you? About as good an idea as a salt water irrigation system.

Read the letters attached below and judge for yourself.

And rumor has it the bill will be amended on the floor today to turn it all over to DEQ which uses risk/use clean up standards - the laxest regulatory standards available.

Cheaper clean up means more profit for Big Oil, and treacherous waters for Louisiana...

Attachment:   farm bureau letter & commish response re hb 618.pdf

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Neil Abramson's Conflict of Interest problems

4/16/2012

THE HOUSE CIVIL LAW COMMITTEE, CHAIR NEIL ABRAMSON,
will go against the wishes of his colleagues and hold hearings on HB
618 Tuesday, April 17. HB 618 is a bill which would weaken Act 312
and thus prevent remediation of polluted lands by the oil and gas
companies which did the damage.


State Representative Neil Abramson
has discovered a way to make an apparent conflict-of-interest
pay for himself and the large New Orleans law firm in which Rep.
Abramson is a stockholder and member, LouisianaTruth.org has discovered.
As Chairman of the Louisiana House Civil Law Committee, Rep.
Abramson, on Tuesday, April 17, 9:30 a.m., will push a bill in his
committee that grants the Department of Natural Resources primary
jurisdiction over so-called “legacy lawsuits”. Rep. Abramson is the
author of the legislation.
If passed, Abramson’s bill will strip from Louisiana landowners their
current right to initially pursue land and water pollution damages
caused by major oil companies in Louisiana courts by jury trials.
“Instead, these cases would start in the bureaucratic morass of the
Department of Natural Resources,” said Cheron Brylski, LouisianaTruth.org.
Major oil companies have long sought this legal change outlined in
HB 618, in order to keep hidden company documents out of the public
domain, keep Louisiana juries from adjudging their fault in these cases,
and save oil companies literally hundreds of millions of dollars in
environmental clean up costs, said Ms. Brylski.
“Rep. Abramson represents the large oil companies in these very cases
through his law firm. He is now attempting to protect them with his legislation
in the very committee he chairs, after other legislators said such legislative
consideration should be delayed one more week while public hearings were
conducted,” said Ms. Brylski.
According to the Liskow and Lewis law firm web site, Abramson is
touted as a State Representative and a lawyer who represents “oil and
gas companies in legacy law suits involving claims of property and ground water contamination.”
According to the state ethics law, Abramson may have more than
a money problem. The state ethics law prohibits a public official from
receiving anything of economic value, other than his governmental compensation,
for performing his public duties.
Here in lies the issue, said Ms. Brylski. “Is Neil Abramson working for himself,
his law firm, and his big oil clients while serving as a State Representative and
committee chairman, or is he working for his constituents in the 98th House
District?”

For more information: C. Brylski (504) 897-6110.
Attachment:   streamdocument.pdf

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BUSTED #5: Hilcorp CEO Exposed!

4/15/2012

Louisiana landowners are disputing claims by Louisiana’s
largest producer of crude oil, Hilcorp, that state laws which
define so-called “legacy lawsuits” are hurting the oil and gas industry.

Last week, Hilcorp's Chief Executive Officer Jeffery Hildebrand, in a
letter to State Senators, asked the State to protect his company from the
legacy of pollution left behind by decades of oil and gas exploration and
production. He claims that the "consequences of inaction are dire for our
business and the industry as a whole" if there is no legislative fix for the oil
industry's legacy lawsuit problem.
“Mr. Hildebrand leaves out important facts and tells half-truths, wanting
Louisiana's citizens to believe the oil industry in Louisiana needs a bailout from environmental damages it has caused to the landowners of our State,” said
Attorney Mike Stag.
“Mr. Hildebrand fails to disclose that he made a fortune buying old oil
fields for a discount in part due to the existing environmental liability.”
The Louisiana Legislature is holding a public hearing on the legacy of
oil and gas pollution left at older, privately owned fields and so-called “legacy
lawsuits” which seek to get the abandoned waste cleaned up, as required by
state law.
For example, Hilcorp purchased the Erath Field in Acadiana for $1.5
million in 1995 from Texaco. As part of the deal, Hilcorp accepted Texaco's
obligations to cleanup the toxic waste left behind from oil and gas operations,
including asbestos and radioactive material. (See 1Art. III 3.1 (a) 1995 Purchase
and Sale Agreement attached)
Hilcorp promised to indemnify Texaco for any damages that were
caused by historical operations in the field. These promises were made by
a corporate President who knew Texaco operations harmed land owned by others.
Before the sale, Hilcorp performed a Phase I Environmental Assessment
of the Field. Hilcorp's environmental engineers reported the existence of past
spills and radioactive waste in the field. (See April 1995 Phase 1 Environmental
Assessment of Selected Assets of the Texaco Exporation and Production, Inc.
Erath Field, attached)
“Hilcorp's engineers recommended surveys for radiation and abatement of
asbestos. Hilcorp did little to nothing to address these environmental issues
until long after it was sued,” said Attorney Mike Stag.
“Louisiana's regulators, the DNR and DEQ did nothing as well. It took
landowner lawsuits to cause Hilcorp to start addressing these damages.”
“Mr. Hildebrand also didn't tell us that his company has made hundreds
of millions of dollars extracting minerals from old fields,” added Mr. Stag.
“Hilcorp and the oil industry report record breaking profits while they seek to
avoid being held responsible for the damages they cause in the one place
landowners can seek justice: a court of law,” said Mr. Stag.
While Mr. Hildebrant writes that legacy lawsuits are a “growth industry in
Louisiana with no signs of abating,” an independent report by the Department
of Natural Resources, released in February, showed there were on average
50 such suits filed a year since 2006. The petroleum industry reports there
are 200 salt domes and 180,000 oil/gas wells in Louisiana.
Attachment:   documents.zip

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Harold Baquet Lecture: April 11

4/5/2012

Photographer Harold Baquet will present Loyola's photographic treasures
...including images by Russell Cresson, Tracy Smith and himself... on
Wed, April 11, 7 p.m., Nunemaker Auditorium, Loyola University, 6363 St.
Charles Ave. Loyola is celebrating 100 years!

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Stacy Head: Working for Us!

4/4/2012


Link :   www.stacyhead.com

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Enroll Now for Louisiana's Virtual Charter School

4/3/2012

Enrollment is limited by BESE to 1000 students,
so parents are encouraged to get student applications in.
Enrollment closes May 7.

Louisiana Connections Academy will host free parent information sessions,
both in person and online, to fulfill a growing number of requests for information
about the virtual school program. Parents and others seeking more information
about Louisiana Connections Academy can call the school at 800-382-6010

Link :   www.connectionsacademy.com/louisiana-school/enrollment/home.aspx


Attachment:   la enrollment.pdf

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French Quarter Artist Decries Advent of Unregulated Noise

3/28/2012

Find out what it is like to live without the
enforcement of city laws...or rather, how
horrendous it is to live like this...


Attachment:   release noise 42.pdf

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Slidell Residents Win! Concrete Operations Must Obey Law

3/27/2012

Download the court document released today.

Attachment:   2012-453_Wagner_et_al_v._Tammany_Holding_Company_et_al.PDF

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IN PRAISE OF AUSTIN BADON

3/27/2012


It is impossible to work in someone’s campaign and not become a fan.
The hours, the stress…it binds you to your candidate, as if you both
survived some kind of battle.

While I’ve always been a fan of St. Rep. Austin Badon, I had not worked
closely with him during the nearly 10 years he’s been in office. Our paths
crossed during all the education reform legislation offered over the past 6
years. And he impressed me that he was willing to take on issues like vouchers, consolidation of the Orleans Assessors, and defense of SUNO…because
so often he acted out of passion and not politics.

Working in his recent Council-at-Large race, I learned that he loves the
Boy Scouts, mentors lots of young men out of the kindness of his heart,
is devoted to his wife Therese, and genuinely believes in public service.
Not for personal gain, just because he believes that right will ultimately
prevail over wrong.

Politically, some may call him naïve. In a world where people study
Machiavelli and Sun Tzu as a bible, I would agree: he seems
unschooled in the cynical world of consultants and bagmen.

I gritted my teeth when he called for a “commuter tax”, having survived
two painful elections on that subject in the 1980s. But it would be nice
to have some way to pay for all those S&WB repairs without doubling
my water bill. And supposedly the Mayor was angered by his repeated
calls to bring in the Louisiana National Guard, even though it still seems
like a good idea to me when you have 10 shootings in one weekend and
persistent questions about police integrity.

But then you open this week’s GAMBIT and you see his photo in the story
about the bullying bill before this Session of the Legislature. …a bill he will
get a lot of grief about…not from people in New Orleans, but from all the
supposedly “religious” fanatics who think this is somehow ungodly. He will
be hounded, he will be harassed.

But knowing Austin, he’ll just smile and reiterate why he does what he does:
he loves public service. Man, that’s refreshing.

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BUSTED #4: What did the oil companies know and when did they know it?

3/21/2012

A sampling of evidence obtained through legal discovery of internal documents show oil companies knew the impact of their activities early in the 20th century, but chose to ignore it.

Click below to read the facts.

Attachment:   What did the oil companies know and when did they know it?

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BUSTED #3: Secret Letter Let's Oil Have It

3/20/2012

Attorney says entire lobbying effort over Act 312
is so oil and gas can control courts

Oil and gas are known to control the State Department of
Natural Resources. Now, to avoid having to pay for cleanups
on lands they have polluted, the oil company lobbyists want
legislators to write into law that they can control the courts!
Read the attached secret letter circulating to legislators!
Attachment:   faircloth letter.pdf

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BUSTED #2: Dismukes Deposed Over Legacy Study Details; UPDATE...DISMUKES TRIES TO AVOID SERVERS! POLICE REPORT FILED

3/19/2012

LSU “RESEARCHER” OF SO-CALLED ENERGY
REPORT TO BE DEPOSED IN POTENTIAL LEGAL ACTION

LSU “researcher” David Dismukes will have to answer
questions under oath on his latest missive regarding “legacy”
lawsuits in Louisiana.

Don Carmouche, a longtime leader in the legal effort to require oil
companies to clean up hazardous dump sites which have existed for
decades on the lands of private citizens in Louisiana, says that the
research conducted by Dismukes is “flawed, erroneous, and prejudiced.”

“Because of its outlandish claims, we want some questions answered by
Dismukes and LSU on a number of issues,” Carmouche said.

Among many items that Dismukes will be questioned about are:
• Was the “research” based on timely and current data?
• What persons or entities paid for and/or subsidized the “research”,
given that the LSU Energy Center’s Board, where Dismukes works, is
replete with oil and gas executives?
• Are the findings of the “research” supported by LSU and, if not, why not?

“We will also ask for all communications between Dismukes and the oil
industry, as well as any payments made to Dismukes for “work” he has
done for the oil industry since 2006,” Carmouche continued. “In all of our
cases where hazardous pits have been left by the oil industry, we have
discovered the only way to find the real truth is by demanding internal documents.”

The disposition of Dismukes, and, perhaps, others, is being undertaken
relative to potential litigation. The disposition is set for March 29, 2012.

Link :   louisianatruth.org/?p=185


Attachment:   Accident_3-30-12.pdf

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Healthcare Leaders Support GOEA-DHH Merger

3/19/2012


The support letter reads:
We support the continued role that COAs and AAAs will serve
across our state and understand that under DHH’s leadership and
coordination, they will not only continue to be a trusted focal point for
services, but also will be strengthened under a funding formula that
closer tracks the seniors served through the fair use of census data to
determine resource availability. Furthermore, we are encouraged by
commitments from DHH’s leadership to protect funding for COAs, AAAs
and the areas they serve.
Attachment:   healthcare leaders.pdf

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SUPPORT SB 231 BY SENATOR MURRAY

3/19/2012

DOWNLOAD THE FORM AND FAX BACK
OR EMAIL CBRYLSKI@AOL.COM WITH YOUR
SUPPORT!

As of today, physicians in Louisiana use a one-page form to request coverage
for prescriptions for Medicaid patients when a medically necessary medication
falls outside of the regular formulary. However, physicians must navigate an
inefficient, time-consuming labyrinth of more than 230 forms when they see
insured patients. Senator Murray’s SB 231 seeks to authorize the Louisiana
Department of Insurance to develop a streamlined form, so that physicians
can spend less time on paperwork, and more time with their patients.
This measure has our support and we ask for yours as well.
Attachment:   form murray.pdf

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Act 312: Truth About Legacy

3/16/2012



Attachment:   final legislators.pdf

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Busted: Big Oil Lie #1

3/16/2012

The spokesperson in the "hidden videos" about legacy
lawsuits is...one of their own!

One of the big fights in the Legislature, if you listen to the lies
spouted by Big Oil apologists Don Briggs (Louisiana Oil and Gas
Association) and Melissa Landry (Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch)
is going to be over "legacy lawsuits" and Act 312. You can click
the link to find out more about this. Basically, oil and gas doesn't
want to have to clean up the radioactive and chemical pollution they
have left on private lands after extracting the oil and gas. This is
against the law. So when landowners sue to have oil and gas meet their
contractual duties, this is called a legacy lawsuit. Oil and gas claims they
just can't make a profit with these things hanging over their heads so...
they are fighting the law that regulates settlements of these types of
cleanups, something called Act 312. To make their case, they have been
releasing clips of a video like the one above, purportedly of a trial attorney,
talking about all the ways lawyers can bilk the oil and gas
industry out of millions through legacy lawsuits.
Well...the "secret" video is really of a seminar held in Houston BY DEFENSE
LAWYERS WHO WORK FOR OIL AND GAS and the instructor is William Griffin.
His resume is attached. HE WORKS FOR THE OIL COMPANIES!!
I hear through the grapevine that he is TOTALLY
PISSED that his presentation is being bastardized in this way! Well you
know what they say...when you sleep with dogs...

Link :   www.louisianatruth.org


Attachment:   Griffin_CV.pdf

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Slidell Resident Court Filing Here

3/14/2012

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