NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A south Louisiana flood board's lawyers head to a federal appeals court in hopes of reviving a lawsuit against dozens of oil and gas companies.
The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East filed the suit in 2013. It claims coastal oil and gas activity contributed to damage and loss of wetlands that form a hurricane buffer for New Orleans.
A federal district judge dismissed the suit last year. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hears arguments in the board's appeal on Monday.
Opponents of the lawsuit say it is a needless attack on a vital Louisiana industry.
Issues in the appeal include whether the suit belongs in state or federal court and whether the judge was correct to dismiss it.
