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Today in America don’t we need more domestic energy? If this is so then why isn’t more drilling happening in the Gulf? Garland is in The Think Tank with Tulane’s Energy Institute Professor Eric Smith, President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Don Briggs, and the Director of Upstream for American Petroleum Institute Eric Milito to discuss gulf drilling.

LISTEN HERE

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Written by: ABiz Staff

On Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 9 am. to noon, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and Acadian Companies will host the 2011 Compressed Natural Gas Fleet Seminar & Workshop at Acadian Companies’ 2916 North University Ave. location.

This free event will give businesses and individuals an opportunity to learn how converting operational fleets and other vehicles to CNG can benefit fuel efficiency and long-term cost savings.

The Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, Apache Corporation, and Lafayette Consolidated Government will give an overview of the progress of CNG fueling options in the Acadian region, also discussing the economics of converting vehicles to CNG, how consumers can go about converting fleets, and where to fill them up. Several dealerships and conversion companies will also answer questions and help attendees begin the process of converting their fleets to run on clean-burning natural gas.

A number of CNG vehicles will be on display, and several will be available for attendees to test drive. Most important, say event organizers, attendees will have the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with company representatives to evaluate fleet information and provide an assessment on whether CNG is a viable alternative for their company.

Organizers are encouraging attendees to bring information about their fleet in order to receive the best possible evaluation. Valuable information includes year, make, model, engine type, mileage/year, gallons/year and replacement schedule for each vehicle in the fleet.

Original Article

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By Mark Ballard

Two groups pushing legislation that would restrict how civil lawsuits are filed in Louisiana announced Monday the launch of a campaign to draw attention to what they call frivolous lawsuits.

Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch and Coalition for Common Sense launched an advertising campaign to publicize a poll they say shows public support for their initiatives and sent questionnaires to put legislative candidates on record regarding the issue.

The two groups released a poll of 600 Louisiana voters that shows 83 percent said “lawsuit reform” was necessary and 85 percent felt advertising by attorneys encourages people to file lawsuits.

The poll shows voters are concerned about the impact of Louisiana’s “litigation lottery” on the state’s economy, said Melissa Landry, executive director of The Law Abuse Watch, in Baton Rouge.

The self-described group “dedicated to stopping lawsuit abuse” teamed with The Coalition for Common Sense to spend $70,000 for radio commercials and online ads to publicize the poll results and raise awareness on the issue.

The Coalition is a group of trade associations that represent manufacturers, refineries, chemical plants, doctors, insurance companies and railroads, among others.

“This is not a solution in search of problem,” Landry said. “It’s time to make Louisiana competitive again and create jobs by moving the legal system back toward the mainstream.”

Leah Guerry, the head of a Baton Rouge organization composed primarily of Louisiana lawyers who have a trial practice, said later Monday that she had not seen the poll, but often such efforts ask questions that mislead people who are not familiar with the judicial system.

“I’m against frivolous lawsuits too,” said Guerry, chief executive officer of the Louisiana Association for Justice in Baton Rouge.

Lawsuits found by the courts to have been without merit are rare, while the solutions being forwarded restrict a victim’s ability to seek compensation from those responsible for the injuries, she said.

“When you’re wrongly injured or disabled you should care whether you have access to the courts,” Guerry said.

The two groups also plan to pursue legislation when lawmakers convene for the 2012 general legislative session scheduled to begin March 12.

According to lobbyist Jim Harris, the legislative proposals would require a victim’s petition for damages include more specifics about when and how injuries were incurred, require the filing of lawsuits in the parish where the injury occurred and more timely reports of any payments received from trust funds. Many asbestos manufacturers have gone out of business and make payments to claimants through bankruptcy trust funds.

Harris is listed as coordinator for The Coalition for Common Sense. The coalition’s Baton Rouge headquarters is at his offices of Harris DeVille & Associates.

Southern Media & Opinion Research Inc., of Baton Rouge, conducted the poll of 24 questions for Harris DeVille. The survey was done over the telephone between July 26 and July 30.

About 74 percent of those questioned were 50 years of age or older and 44.6 percent said they agreed with Republican positions more often, the survey stated. The poll reported a 4 percent margin of error.

Original Article

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Linda McKenna is absolutely right (“Perry bid elevates lawsuit reform,” Commentary, Sept.15), and we in Louisiana present a stark comparison to our neighbors to the west.

While Texas was once known as the “lawsuit abuse capital of the world,” Gov. Rick Perry has worked with lawmakers over the past decade to enact common-sense laws to bring fairness back to the state’s courts.

Because of reforms to curb arbitrary and frivolous claims, excessive damage awards, venue shopping and other abuses, Texas has become a jobs machine, producing four of every 10 new jobs created in the United States since the official end of the recent recession.

Meanwhile, here in Louisiana, state leaders have been reluctant to pass similar legal reforms. What’s the result? Despite the fact that our state is also largely dependent on the oil and gas sector, which is booming right now, we’re struggling with 7.6 percent unemployment and stagnant job creation. Certainly, this is at least partially due to our state’s hostile legal environment.

In the oil sector, abusive “legacy” lawsuits affect 56 percent of on-shore oil exploration and production. The result in recent years has been a stagnating Louisiana on-shore oil business when compared with neighboring Texas, which has a more robust industry and does not have this lawsuit problem. That means more oil jobs for Texas and fewer in Louisiana.

Regardless of whom readers decide to support in the presidential race, we should all take note of what’s happening in Texas and recognize that reasonable lawsuit laws are important to building a sound economy.

MELISSA LANDRY

Executive director

Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch

Baton Rouge, La.

Original Article