Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University (LSU) is the flagship state university of Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge. LSU researchers have played major roles in researching the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and informing the media and the government of their findings. However, LSU is also the recipient of millions of dollars in grants from oil companies, including $10 million over 10 years from BP following the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Ties to the American Legislative Exchange Council
Dr. David Dismukes, LSU Professor and Associate Executive Director and Director of Policy Analysis at LSU's Center for Energy Studies, spoke on "A Smarter Approach to Improving our Environment: Addressing the Costs of Proposed EPA Regulations on Energy Affordability," sponsored by the Energy, Environment and Agriculture Task Force, at the 2011 American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Annual Meeting.

Oil Industry Funding
LSU's School of the Coast and Environment has received a number of grants from the energy industry, including:

Grants from BP Exploration and Production, Inc. Totaling $497,695
 * Bob Gambrell, $39,768, Water Column Characterization of Selected Metals Associated with Crude Oil as a Tracer for Plume Movement from the Deepwater Horizon Site, Received June 30, 2010.
 * Chunyan Li, $114,999, Analysis of Masstive In Situ Data from Moorings and Ships for the Fate of Oil Spills and Dispersant and for Supporting Model Validation, received June 30, 2010
 * Donald Baltz, $249,298, Biological Impacts of Oil and Dispersant on Fish Fauna of Deep Waters: Assessing Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Event, received July 1, 2010
 * Mark Benfield, $56,090, Documenting impacts of the subsea plume using Gulf SERPENT ROV surveys, received June 30, 2010
 * Nan Walker, $37540, Satellite Remote Sensing of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Providing a Context for Shipboard Measurements, received June 30, 2010

Grants from the American Petroleum Institute Totaling $119,520
 * Ralph Portier, $119,520, Development of Risk Based Protocols for Removal of Flowline and Pipeline Infrastructure in Coastal Wetlands, 2007-2009

Grants from ConocoPhilips Totaling $19,998
 * Mark Benfield, $9,999, LSU-ConocoPhillips Zooplankton Project, 2006
 * Rick Shaw, $9,999, LSU-ConocoPhillips Ichthyoplankton Project, 2006

Grants from Exxon Mobil Totaling $17,100
 * Harry H. Roberts, $7,500, Remnants of an Early-Middle Holocene Mississippi River Delta Complex(es: Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, and Depositional History, 2010
 * Samuel Bentley, $9,600, Geochronology Investigations of Wax Lake Delta, 2002

Grants from the Gas Technology Institute Totaling $349,998
 * Harry Roberts, $349,998, Multicomponent and Multifrequency Seismic Assessment of Fluid-Gas Expulsion Geology and Gas Hydrates: Gulf of Mexico, 2003-2004

Animal testing
LSU does animal testing.

Facility information, progress reports & USDA-APHIS reports
For links to copies of this facility's U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal Plant Health Inspection (APHIS) reports, other information and links, see also Facility Reports and Information: Facility Reports and Information: LSU System/Research Facilities, Baton Rouge, LA.

USDA AWA reports
As of May 26, 2009, the USDA began posting all inspection reports for animal breeders, dealers, exhibitors, handlers, research facilities and animal carriers by state. See also USDA Animal Welfare Inspection Reports.

Thousands of lab animals abandoned in Hurricane Katrina
LSU left thousands of lab animals trapped in their cages during Hurricane Katrina. All 8,000 animals, including mice, rats, dogs and monkeys, died. Thousands of terrified animals were abandoned in their cages as the waters rose and electricity failed. Many drowned and others died from lack of food and water. According to the dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Larry Hollier, some of the animals were euthanized. However, in news reports of the tragedy, researchers lamented only their "loss of data".

See also ten worst laboratories.

Contact
Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, LA 70803

e-mail: webmaster@lsu.edu

Web address: http://www.lsu.edu/

SourceWatch articles

 * Animal testing
 * British Petroleum
 * Deepwater Horizon
 * Edward B. Overton
 * Humane Movement
 * National Institutes of Health
 * National Primate Research Center System
 * Ten Worst Laboratories
 * U.S. Government's War on Animals