LAPLACE — St. John the Baptist Parish is suing 13 oil and gas interests, accusing the business regimes of operating in the parish’s wetlands and failing to restore them to their original conditions.

“My message is simple: clean up the mess that you have made and restore our coast to its original condition,” District Attorney Bridget A. Dinvaut said in a released statement Wednesday announcing the lawsuit.

St. John’s legal action joins efforts already underway by Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Jefferson, Cameron and Vermilion parishes and led by attorney John Carmouche and the law firm Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello out of Baton Rouge.

According to Dinvaut, everyone in St. John recognizes the “tremendous impact” oil and gas companies have made to the local economy; however, she said, “every person who has ever fished, hunted and enjoyed the natural beauty of St. John the Baptist Parish is aware of the environmental issues caused by oil and gas activities.”

An alphabetical listing of the defendants named in the lawsuit include Cambridge Energy Corporation, Craig J. Sceroler Inc., Freeport-McMoRan Oil & Gas, Green Wilson Hicks III, King W. Lanaux, LLOG Exploration & Production, Louisiana Exploration & Drilling, Marquee Corporation, Mineral Ventures Inc., Palace Exploration, Shell Oil, Smith Production Company of Mississippi and Todd Oil Corporation of Louisiana.

Dinvaut contends the cleanup and restoration of the parish’s damages will create economic and employment opportunities for local residents.

Gov. John Bel Edwards has championed the legal efforts by coastal parishes while Attorney General Jeff Landry has opposed the lawsuits.