On March 11, 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Governor John Bel Edwards declared a public health emergency for the State of Louisiana pursuant to the Louisiana Health Emergency Powers Act, La. R.S. 29:760 et seq. This is not the first time the Governor has declared a public health emergency for
Louisiana to Receive Federal Funding to Help Address Thousands of Orphaned Oilfield Sites throughout the State
The U.S. Interior Department recently announced that it is awarding Louisiana with about $47 million to be used to plug and abandon the orphaned well sites throughout the state. This is part of phase one of many under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed by President Biden in November.
Louisiana first turned
It Pays to go to College: NCAA Allows College Athletes to Profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness
Effective today, July 1, the NCAA has officially suspended the organization’s rules prohibiting athletes from selling the rights to their names, images, and likenesses (“NIL”). Despite the NCAA’s longstanding principles that payments to athletes while attending college would undermine amateurism of college athletics, the organization’s Division I board of directors decided Wednesday that it would
Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust, Could Carbon Capture Save the Climate Bust?
Originally published in the Ark-La-Tex Association of Professional Landmen Register
Carbon capture and storage (“CCS”) is the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from large point sources, and then transporting it to a storage location for deposit in underground formations where it will not re-enter the atmosphere. By returning CO2 emissions that resulted from the
From a Louisiana Notary Far Far Away…
Currently, 29 states permit some form of remote online notarization (RON) and Louisiana is (almost) one of them.[1] House bill 274 of the 2020 regular session of the Louisiana State Legislature was signed into law on June 11, 2020. HB 274, among other things, permits the use of remote online notarization in Louisiana. However,
Fifth Circuit Holds That A Jones Act Seaman Can Be Contributorily Negligent For His Own Injuries When Following the General Orders Of His Superior
In the recent 2-1 decision of Knight v. Kirby Offshore Marine Pac., L.L.C, No. 19-30756, 2020 WL 7393534, at *1 (5th Cir. Dec. 17, 2020), the Fifth Circuit held that a Jones Act Seaman was contributorily negligent for his injuries when following the general orders of his superior. The Court analyzed the differences between general
Sports Betting Legislation Passed in Louisiana
In the 2018 case, Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). PAPSA went into effect in 1993 and prevented any state from legalizing sports gambling (unless the state was grandfathered in). As a result of the ruling in Murphy
Supreme Court Rules Civil Rights Act Protects Gay and Transgender Employees From Workplace Discrimination
On June 15, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, holding that an employer who fires an individual based on the individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity violates the express terms of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”),
UPDATE: Louisiana Court Closures and Updates in Accordance with COVID-19
The coronavirus continues to adversely impact so many, and the court systems across the country are adapting in kind. Accordingly, the Louisiana Supreme Court has issued orders over the last several weeks to help the court system navigate through these challenging times. Recently, Louisiana’s Governor, in Proclamation JBE 2020-58, lifted the Stay-at Home Order
Sellers and Distributors of Disinfectants Beware: The Virus Causing COVID-19 Is a “Pest” Under FIFRA
Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”), most pesticides must be registered and are subject to product labeling requirements. FIFRA defines a “pesticide” as “any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest.” 7 U.S.C. § 136(u). A “pest” is defined in the statute to mean: “