<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/chevron-louisiana-wetlands-damages-lawsuit>
"Chevron has been ordered to pay more than $744m in damages for destroying
parts of south-east Louisiana’s coastal wetlands over the years.
The ruling, which came in the form of a civil jury verdict on Friday, marks the
conclusion of the first trial among 42 lawsuits filed about 12 years earlier
which alleged that the company’s oil and gas projects have led to the
degradation of the region’s wetlands. Among other things, the wetlands play a
key role in offering the area a measure of protection from hurricanes.
The jury found that the oil brand Texaco, which is owned by Chevron, violated
state regulations surrounding coastal resources by contributing to the
disappearing coastline through dredging canals, drilling wells and dumping
massive amounts of wastewater into the marsh.
The verdict could prompt other companies to settle the other separate but
similar lawsuits. Nonetheless, Chevron’s attorney, Mike Phillips, said that the
oil company intends to appeal the verdict.
According to the US Geological Survey, Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are among
the most critically endangered environments across the country as they
experience more wetland loss than all other states in the continental US
combined.
From 1932 to 2016, coastal Louisiana experienced a net change in land area of
approximately -4,833 square kilometers, marking a decrease of approximately
25% of the land area at the beginning of that time period.
The canals used to create transportation routes for oil and gas rigs have over
the years impeded natural water flow across the wetland ecosystems, according
to the Lowlander Center. Additionally, the canals create straight avenues which
allow surging ocean waters to bypass the bayous and instead head directly
inland during severe weather events.
According to a 1978 Louisiana management law, sites used by oil companies must
“be cleared, revegetated, detoxified, and otherwise restored as near as
practicable to their original condition” after the companies’ projects end, the
Associated Press reports.
The south-eastern Louisiana community of Plaquemines parish filed the lawsuit
against Chevron in 2013, asking for $2.6bn in damages at the time. The parish
has an additional 20 pending cases against other oil companies.
The jury awarded various compensations to Plaquemines on Friday, including
$575m for land loss, $161m for contamination – as well as $8.6 million for
abandoned equipment."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
