Off the rails: Approximately 138 homes and two businesses, including a daycare center, were evacuated until about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday after 11 rail cars ran off the tracks near Scott, which is just west of Lafayette. The Advertiser reports that no one was injured. Emergency crews were notified of the derailment around 10:31 a.m. Wednesday that several rail cars being hauled by Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company. One rail car carrying phosphoric acid jumped the tracks and listed to its side. Phosphoric acid is caustic and can cause dermatitis, blurred vision, difficulty swallowing or breathing and gastrointestinal problems. Fortunately, none of the rail cars leaked, officials say. Read the full story.
Another shot: A Lake Charles senator is back with his proposal to allow law enforcement agencies to automatically scan motorists’ license plates. The Associated Press reports former Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed the bill last year, so Republican Sen. Ronnie Johns asked senators to try again this year now that Gov. John Bel Edwards is in office. The Senate voted 30-3 Wednesday for the measure. The bill would create a pilot program that runs until 2022 to crack down on car thieves and insurance scofflaws. Johns describes the technology as a way for police to cross-check license plates with police databases to determine if vehicles are stolen or uninsured. Jindal raised privacy concerns, saying data collected through scans could be stolen or misused. The proposal heads next to the House for consideration.
Staying out of it: An Energy XXI subsidiary that leases subsea pipelines off the Louisiana coast will remain outside of the parent company’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case and the leases are intact, according to CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust Inc., which owns the pipe network. Bloomberg reports that Houston-based oil company Energy XXI Ltd. filed for bankruptcy protection after spending $5 billion on acquisitions in the years leading up to the crude slump. The oil and gas explorer sought Chapter 11 protection in Houston today, listing $1.8 billion in assets and $3.6 billion in debt and saying it has reached a restructuring agreement with noteholders. “Energy XXI will eliminate more than $2.8 billion in debt from its balance sheet, substantially deleverage its capital structure and position the company for long-term success,” the company says. Energy XXI bills itself as the largest publicly traded independent producer on the Gulf of Mexico shelf. Read the full story.
