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URGENT REQUEST

TOMORROW, on Tuesday, April 10, at 9:00 am in the Senate Committee on Judiciary A, the LOGA and business industry sponsored LEGACY bill, SB 443 by Sen. JP Morrell, will be heard.

I NEED YOUR HELP TODAY.

Please email or call the committee members below and ask them to vote “YES” on SB 443.  Also ask your employees to do the same.  I do not take lightly asking you to do this.  At the conclusion of this email is a sample letter that you and your companies can use in your correspondence with the members if you choose.

Those that wish to continue extorting millions of dollars out of the oil and gas industry are hard at work asking committee members to vote against our bill.  Our opposition has been misleading members of our industry with false promises of solutions to all of our problems.  It is time for the oil and gas industry to come together as one and stand behind the only side that truly cares about finding a resolution.

We have worked hard to try and gain the support of the Governor and his Administration.  We do not expect that they will be in committee to support our bill.  Unfortunately for the industry, the STATUS QUO only benefits the plaintiffs.

SB 443 simply allows defendants to stand up and admit responsibility for the regulatory damages without admitting liability for the billions in private claims.  This admission helps to create an open and transparent process with a public hearing at DNR and a plan developed by the State of Louisiana would be admissible at trial. We strongly believe that our bill provides a remedy to “legacy” litigation, while protecting the landowners’ rights and the district court’s role in the judicial process.

If you have any further questions, please contact Gifford Briggs at gifford@loga.la or myself at don@loga.la or we can be reached by phone at (225)-388-9525

Thank you for your help.  Again, I want you to know that I do not take lightly asking you to contact the Committee members regarding this bill.

Senate Committee on Judiciary A

Chairman Ben Nevers                  neversb@legis.la.gov                (985) 732-6863

Vice-Chairman Dan Claitor          claitord@legis.la.gov                 (225) 765-0206

Conrad Appel                                appelc@legis.la.gov                   (866) 946-3133

Jack Donahue                               donahuej@legis.la.gov              (985) 727-7949

Danny Martiny                               martinyd@legis.la.gov                (504) 834-7676

Edwin Murray                                murraye@legis.la.gov                 (504) 945-0042

Rick Ward III                                  wardr@legis.la.gov                      (225) 246-8838

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Industry, I urgently request that you vote YES on Senator JP Morrell’s SB 443 regarding limited admission of liability in lawsuits for environmental damages.This legislation allows for an open and transparent process which helps to ensure the State of Louisiana fulfills its Constitutional obligation to protect the health and welfare of its citizens and the environment.

As you know, Legacy Lawsuits have led to the loss of nearly 1,200 new wells in Louisiana, translating to an astonishing 6.8 billion dollars in lost drilling investments and the loss of over 30,000 jobs.

Please help stop the attack on Louisiana’s economy by voting YES on SB 443.

Sincerely,
Don Briggs
President, Louisiana Oil & Gas Association (LOGA)