Louisiana spending on oil spill reaches $5 million _ and counting

La. spending on oil spill reaches $5M

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana agencies have spent more than $5 million to combat the still-growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and they estimate the spending could top more than $20 million by next month, according to information provided to lawmakers Wednesday.

Officials from the governor’s Division of Administration said money from BP PLC and the federal government would cover all state costs.

Ray Stockstill, one of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s top budget advisers, said $5 million in agency spending has been reported so far in the state’s accounting system, though he acknowledged the figure likely is larger.

“There’s a delay in reporting so more money than that has probably been spent,” Stockstill told the Legislature’s joint budget committee.

The panel gave departments the budget authority to spend $21 million on oil spill cleanup and response efforts before the fiscal year ends June 30, based on estimates of what the agencies think they likely will spend.

Among the costs tallied include employee overtime, equipment purchases, travel costs, fuel and maintenance for plane surveillance of the spill, lab testing, water sampling and legal consultants.

The committee also authorized the state tourism office to spend $15 million given to the state by BP to boost tourism promotion efforts in the aftermath of the spill.

Online:

Louisiana Legislature: www.legis.state.la.us