Ruling alleges officials failed to protect public from
pollution, possible radiation poisoning from contaminated waters
The Louisiana State Court of Appeal has ordered the State
Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to test the
environmental impact of discharges from produced waters in the
Gulf of Mexico. The ruling upholds the position of the Louisiana
Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and its attorney Stuart H.
Smith that DEQ failed to protect the public from pollution and
possible radiation poisoning when it issued oil and gas permits
for exploration without proper monitoring of the resultant
impact on territorial waters. This is a major victory for LEAN
and other clean water advocates in Louisiana—a state known for
its industry-friendly leanings. The court's decision recognizes
the merit of LEAN's allegation that dangerous amounts of
radioactive material are released into the Gulf waters every
year when commercial oil and gas discharges are dumped directly
into the sea. The toxins associated with th