Fair compensation?: Oil companies that damage the state’s public oyster grounds—for example, when they drill wells and lay pipelines—are not required to pay enough in compensation to the state, according to a state legislative auditor’s report. The Associated Press reports this was just one of several findings in a Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s report released today examining payments companies make for damage to public oyster grounds. The report looked at 411 permits handed out between 2010 and 2014. It found the state charges less than it should for compensation and that compensation had not been paid for 92% of those permits as of last October. The auditor suggests raising fees and getting companies to pay faster. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department says it is looking at charging companies more for compensation.
End of the line: The nation’s highest court has turned down an appeal from lawyers representing more than 7,000 school workers who argue they were wrongfully fired after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and caused schools to close indefinitely. The Associated Press reports the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition for a hearing today, but did not give a reason for its decision. The appeal was made after the Louisiana Supreme Court in October overturned previous rulings in favor of the workers. In 2012 a state district court determined the teachers were wrongfully fired and that they were entitled to damages. Willie Zanders, a lawyer for the school workers, says today’s decision effectively ends the legal fight, adding he plans to submit the case to Congress and seek compensation through the legislative branch.
Still the king: America’s transportation today is running on the largest share of non-petroleum energy since 1954, according to an analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.FuelFix.com reports that the vast majority of transportation—everything from cars and trains to airplanes—still runs on petroleum fuels. But as a total percentage, the share of non-oil fuels has grown from about 4% to 8.5% between the mid-2000s and 2014. Fuel ethanol has grown the most rapidly, according to the EIA’s numbers. That biofuel generated nearly one quadrillion British thermal units more energy in 2014 than it did in 2000, thanks mostly to its use in 10% ethanol gasoline. Electricity used for transportation also has grown by about 40% over the past decade and a half, although it has recently tapered off since 2007. Read the full story.
