La. official known for criticizing BP and federal government over spill cruises to re-election

Official known for criticizing BP, feds re-elected

POINTE A LA HACHE, La. — A local official who emerged as a leading critic of efforts to clean up the oil spilled from BP’s well in the Gulf of Mexico has easily won re-election as president of his coastal Louisiana parish.

With all precincts reporting, Republican Billy Nungesser had 71 percent of the vote Saturday in Plaquemines Parish.

Democrat Amos Cormier received 22 percent and independent Benny Rousselle, a former Plaquemines president, had 6 percent.

Nungesser, 51, became a familiar figure in news reports after oil first touched the mainland April 29 near the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaaquemines. He heavily criticized BP and federal officials for their efforts to clean up the oil. Plaquemines is heavily dependent on fishing and oyster harvesting, which were largely shut down after the spill.