ENROLLED
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Regular Session, 2010
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 157
BY REPRESENTATIVES CONNICK, ABRAMSON, ANDERS, ARMES, ARNOL D,
AUBERT, AUSTIN BADON, BOBBY BADON, BALDONE, BARRAS,
BARROW, BILLIOT, BROSSETT, BURFORD, HENRY BURNS, TIM BURNS,
BURRELL, CARMODY, CARTER, CHAMPAGNE, CHANDL ER, CHANEY,
CORTEZ, CROMER, DANAHAY, DIXON, DOERGE, DOVE, DOWNS,
EDWARDS, ELLINGTON, FANNIN, FOIL, FRANKLIN, GALLOT, GEYMANN,
GISCLAIR, GREENE, GUILLORY, GUINN, HARDY, HARRISON, HAZEL,
HENDERSON, HENRY, HILL, HINES, HOFFMANN, HOWARD, HUTTER,
GIROD JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON, JOHNSON, ROSALIND JONES, SAM
JONES, KATZ, KLECKLEY, LABRUZZO, LAFONTA, LAMBERT, LANDRY,
LEBAS, LEGER, LIGI, LITTLE, LOPINTO, LORUSSO, MCVEA, MILLS,
MONICA, MONTOUCET, MORRIS, NORTON, NOWLIN, PEARSON, PERRY,
PONTI, POPE, PUGH, RICHARD, RICHARDSON, RICHMOND, RITCHIE,
ROBIDEAUX, ROY, SCHRODER, SIMON, SMILEY, GARY SMITH, JANE
SMITH, PATRICIA SMITH, ST. GERMAIN, STIAES, TALBOT, TEMPLET,
THIBAUT, THIERRY, TUCKER, WADDELL, WHITE, WIL LIAMS,
WILLMOTT, AND WOOTON
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request that British Petroleum remove Houston, Texas, from the choice of
forum provision in the contract form utilized in the hiring of vessel owners in the
response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
WHEREAS, on April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the rig Deepwater Horizon
which resulted in the fire that eventually sank the rig, killed at least eleven crewmen, and
threatens Louisiana's delicate coast and industries that rely on the coast with thousands of
barrels of oil spewing from five thousand feet on the ocean bottom; and
WHEREAS, the impact of oil along the Louisiana coast leaking from the Deepwater
Horizon threatens the state's natural resources, including land, water, fish, wildlife, fowl, and
other biota and likewise threatens the livelihoods of Louisiana's citizens living along the
coast which depends upon those resources; and
WHEREAS, in response to this disaster to aid in the mitigating of the oil and to
provide employment opportunities to fisherman and charter boat captains with an otherwise
bleak economic future, British Petroleum as the responsible party has contracted and
continues to contract with these vessel owners to provide services; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 157
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WHEREAS, the standard contract form utilized by British Petroleum contains many
provisions including a choice of forum provision that provides that any litigation arising out
of or relating to the contract may be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in New
Orleans, Louisiana, or Houston, Texas; and
WHEREAS, in the event that British Petroleum would bring suit against a party to
these contracts, the choice of forum provision would allow such action to be brought in
Houston, Texas; and
WHEREAS, the cost to these vessel owners to travel to and defend a lawsuit in
another state would represent a great hardship, burden, and inconvenience especially while
these individuals attempt to reforge a future for themselves and their families.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
urge and request that British Petroleum remove Houston, Texas, from the choice of forum
provision in the contract form utilized in the hiring of vessel owners in the response to the
Deepwater Horizon disaster.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
British Petroleum.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE