Accusations fly in sand-berm project; Louisiana officials point fingers at Shaw, contractors over delays completing 40-mile barrier to block Gulf Oil spill

The Shaw Group Inc. and its subcontractors, hired by the state of Louisiana to construct a 40-mile-log sand berm to protect its coast from oil that was spilled into the Gulf of Mexico when a BP PLC offshore oil well drilling rig exploded, has come under fire by the state government for not moving the project along fast enough. Poor weather and shifting federal requirements have been offered by Shaw as the reason for the delay.