Mississippi’s attorney general says he will sue the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for damage the state experienced after the Corps opened a spillway for an extended period to protect New Orleans from flooding.
Attorney General Jim Hood is the Democratic nominee for governor in the Nov. 5 election.
At a news conference Thursday on the vote-rich Mississippi Gulf Coast, Hood announced he’s giving the federal government 60 days’ notice, as required, of his intention to sue.
Hood says the extended opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway during the summer damaged the Gulf of Mexico, and that hurt Mississippi’s oyster industry. Mississippi beaches closed for weeks because of algae growth.
Hood says he does not want New Orleans to flood, but the Corps should better assess potential damage to Mississippi.
