About time: After months of working through the federal bureaucracy, Louisiana has access to the $1.6 billion in federal aid earmarked by Congress for flood recovery. As The Associated Press reports, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration says the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development officially released the dollars to the state Monday. Louisiana can now start withdrawing dollars to pay for recovery projects approved by HUD. The governor’s office says the state will begin using the dollars quickly, to do the environmental reviews required by the federal government for homeowners seeking rebuilding assistance. The administration plans to spend $1.3 billion of the congressional aid on homeowner recovery. The release comes after Edwards’ administration and U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, squabbled over when the money actually became available to Louisiana. Read more.
End in sight: Federal criminal charges filed against an energy company over a deadly 2012 offshore oil platform fire may be headed for a resolution. As The Associated Press reports, court records show a change-of-plea hearing has been set for April 26 for Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations, which faces three counts of involuntary manslaughter plus various safety and environmental charges in the case. The company has pleaded not guilty, but records show a judge set the new hearing after prosecutors and defense lawyers jointly requested an order enabling Black Elk to enter a new plea. The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. An attorney for Black Elk did not immediately respond to requests for details. Three Filipino workers died in the 2012 fire on the platform operated by Black Elk. A 2013 report by federal regulators identified a string of safety lapses that led to the blast, which killed Ellroy Corporal, Jerome Malagapo and Avelino Tajonera. The platform was about 17 miles from Grand Isle in about 52 feet of water.
In free fall: United Continental Holdings Inc. fell as outrage on social media over a passenger’s forcible removal from a flight spread across the globe. Bloomberg reports United’s stock fell 3.3% to $69.17 at 9:46 a.m., marking the biggest decline on a Bloomberg index of U.S. airlines. Officers pulled a passenger from a flight Sunday evening after he refused to give up his seat, dragging him down the aisle as travelers yelled at them to stop. Recordings of the incident posted on social media sent people into a rage. By Tuesday in China, the incident was a focus of social media and government editorial. The hashtag #UnitedForcesPassengerOffPlane was the top trending item on Sina Weibo, the equivalent of Twitter, with more than 270 million views. The man who was removed appeared to be of Asian descent. Read more.
