Louisiana officials say that BP agreed last November to negotiate early payments to rebuild oyster beds and wetlands damaged in the oil spill and help pay for a fish hatchery to address the collapse of commercial fisheries.
But none of that has happened, and now state officials say they believe the oil giant is reneging on promises it made. If so, that's infuriating. BP shouldn't be trying to wiggle out of paying for damage done by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. No matter how the company tries to spin it, all these projects are related to the spill and are needed for Louisiana to recover from the economic and environmental destruction that BP's broken well caused.
The state is trying to scrape together money to get the projects started, with plans to present BP the bill after the fact. But upfront help from BP would allow Louisiana to get a more meaningful start on these critical projects.
When it comes to the oyster beds, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Director Robert Barham said the company seems to be shifting its strategy from public relations to litigation. "Their response today was that we see no evidence of oil injuring the oysters,'' he said.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, LA).