St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes has thrown a legal wrench into the Port of New Orleans’ stormwater plans, telling residents in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the parish is in active litigation with the port and will not rush any sign-offs tied to the proposed Louisiana International Terminal.
In the message, Pomes asked residents to sit tight while parish officials sort through what he framed as both legal and technical questions around the Port’s stormwater controls. The dispute, which has been simmering since 2023, is now squarely focused on how and whether the parish must bless the port’s MS4 stormwater-management plan.
What Pomes Asked Officials To Do
In the post titled “A message from President Pomes,” the parish said it has asked District Attorney Perry Nicosia for an official opinion on whether St. Bernard can refuse to authorize construction based on the Port’s municipal separate storm sewer (MS4) stormwater-management plan. The administration has also elevated a similar request to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality for state-level review, according to St. Bernard Parish Government.
The parish’s statement stresses that this is not only a political fight but a permitting one, and it directly asks residents for patience while those legal and technical opinions are prepared. Parish officials did not give any timeline for when those formal opinions might land.
Where The Fight Comes From
All of this traces back to the Port of New Orleans’ proposed Louisiana International Terminal in Violet and the infrastructure that would come with it, including the St. Bernard Transportation Corridor that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development recently advanced with federal backing, according to a LaDOTD announcement.
Port NOLA’s board minutes list the parish’s court case on the docket and show the port continuing public outreach as the project moves ahead. That combination of big-money infrastructure, active permitting and ongoing litigation has pulled the question of local approvals into the spotlight and sharpened scrutiny on each procedural step.
Why The MS4 Question Matters
MS4 is the federal framework for municipal separate storm sewer systems, built around permits that govern how stormwater runoff and pollution are controlled, according to EPA guidance. The details in an MS4 stormwater-management plan can determine whether a project’s runoff controls satisfy state and federal expectations.
Local governments can use those permitting and sign-off processes to push for stricter protections. If regulators or courts ultimately say St. Bernard has the authority to withhold certain approvals based on the Port’s MS4 plan, that could slow or alter how construction at the terminal site proceeds.
Legal Stakes
The disagreement is not hypothetical. The parish’s litigation with the Port of New Orleans is filed as a 2023 case in the 34th Judicial District Court, and council records show the body has voted to re-enroll the district attorney’s office and retain outside counsel as part of its strategy, according to St. Bernard Parish council minutes.
St. Bernard has also put a 2024 Stormwater Management Plan on paper, outlining its own MS4 obligations and the standards it will use to judge stormwater controls. That document helps explain why parish leaders are routing the dispute through both legal and environmental reviewers rather than treating it as a purely political standoff.
How judges interpret the parish’s authority over stormwater-related approvals could decide whether the Port moves ahead under existing permits or is forced back to the table for additional local clearances.
Local Reaction And Politics
The port project has already stirred up intense local politics. A recall petition against Pomes was filed last year after he supported legislation linked to port infrastructure, as reported by FOX 8.
Community groups and some council members have repeatedly demanded environmental, health and property-impact studies before major construction moves forward. The parish’s latest public statement reads in part like a response to that pressure, signaling that officials are now leaning heavily on formal legal opinions and state environmental review to chart their next moves.
From here, the process gets slower and more procedural. The parish is waiting for formal guidance from the district attorney and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality while maintaining its litigation posture, even as the Port continues with permitting and planning for the transportation corridor.
For residents watching from the sidelines, the next big tells will be any written opinions from the DA or DEQ and whatever follow-up orders or filings appear in the 34th Judicial District Court.
