(C) Verite News New Orleans

(C) Verite News New Orleans
This story was originally published by Verite News New Orleans and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .

Environmental activists prepare for a ‘rough ride’ during Landry administration [1]

['Drew Costley', 'More Drew Costley', 'Verite News']

Date: 2023-11-10

Environmental and climate advocates in Louisiana are bracing for a dirtier environment and more carbon emissions throughout the state under a Jeff Landry administration.

Over the last four years, Louisiana saw unprecedented climate action at the state level with the creation of a Climate Initiatives Task Force by Gov. John Bel Edwards. Now, advocates are preparing for a regression from gains made under Edwards because, they think, Landry will deregulate the oil and gas industry and halt efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental advocates said that Landry’s administration will be more detrimental to the climate and environment than previous conservative administrations, such as Bobby Jindal’s.

And they say that his governorship couldn’t come at a worse time.

“We’re in for a rough ride,” said Charles Pfeifer, political chair for the New Orleans chapter of the Sierra Club. “There’s no doubt he’s going to fully push oil and gas. … Louisiana has clearly always been on that path and needs to steer away from that, but under a Landry administration, that’s not going to happen.”

Advocates like Pfeifer say they have plenty of reasons to believe that Landry’s administration will further ease what critics say is an already lax state regulatory regime, the most recent being the people he has chosen to lead his transition team.

In late October, Landry announced 14 councils that will aid in the transition — including groups focused on environment, energy, chemical and land management — and named the chairs of those councils. Among them are oil and gas industry veterans, including one who has worked with Landry previously on matters pertaining to the industry.

Joel Broussard, chair of the Agriculture, Fisheries & Land Management transition council, was the CEO of a fracking company called U.S. Well Services until 2022. Gray Stream, chair of the Energy, Chemical, & Maritime Industry council, owns a carbon capture and storage company and wants to be a leader in that field, according to the company’s website. Tony Alford, one of the chairs of the Coast & Environment council, founded an anti-union, Houma-based group called Concerned Citizens for the Community.

And lawyer Tim Hardy, the other chair of that council, was hired by Landry to represent the state in failed negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation into environmental racism in Cancer Alley — the 85-mile strip between New Orleans and Baton Rouge where petrochemical plants disproportionately dirty the air of predominantly Black neighborhoods. At the same time, Hardy was working for Formosa Plastics, one of the main subjects of the EPA investigation.

Calls and emails to members of the Landry transition committee were not returned by publication time.

“In my view, it signals that Jeff Landry will continue to have very close ties to the oil and gas industry and to other industries that either oppose or often resist policy changes that would address climate and environmental concerns,” said Jackson Voss, the climate policy coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a New Orleans group that advocates for affordable and environmentally responsible energy.

During and prior to his gubernatorial run, Landry has repeatedly signaled his friendly relationship with the industry. He served on the board of Harvey Gulf, an offshore drilling supplier led by his close political ally Shane Guidry, until just after he announced his run for governor. Earlier this year, he sued the EPA to stop the Cancer Alley investigation, even as negotiations between the state and the federal agency were ongoing. The EPA dropped its Cancer Alley investigation about a month after Landry filed the suit.

And just weeks before the October election, he teamed up with the American Petroleum Institute, the country’s largest oil and gas lobbying firm , and Chevron to sue the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Department of the Interior to get them to expand the amount of land being sold for offshore drilling.

Throughout Landry’s time in Congress and as the state’s attorney general, the industry has been his largest donor, giving nearly $480,000, according to campaign finance reporting website OpenSecrets.org. While in Congress, Landry infamously held up a sign that read “Drilling = jobs” during a speech on jobs by President Barack Obama. He’s also called climate change and global warming a hoax.

His election to Louisiana’s governorship comes at a crucial time in the fight to mitigate the worse impacts of climate change, advocates said. International climate experts said the global community has until roughly 2032 to slash emissions enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Landry could be in office for the entire time remaining in that forecast.

Louisiana has the fifth highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the country despite being the 25th largest state by population, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, so advocates say it is crucial the state move toward decarbonization.

“I don’t see any way he’s going to be helping cut back on oil and gas. There’ll probably be more of the same,” Pfeifer said. “And really the whole world needs to be taking action now.”

Over the next four years, environmental and climate organizations in Louisiana said they will oppose any state regulations that lead to more pollution or carbon emissions and push for climate action while focusing on what progress can be made on the local level with federal support.

Consumer tax credits, loans and some grants, such as project and categorical grants for green infrastructure projects, can bypass state government and go directly to local communities, nonprofit groups and individuals through the Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year.

“We’re going to continue to push for changes that allow for renewable energy to be adopted in Louisiana,” Voss said, “while also encouraging the public to become more active in these fights whether it’s at the Public Service Commission, the Louisiana Legislature or elsewhere.”

Related Stories

Republish This Story Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Close window X Republish this article This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Unless otherwise noted, you can republish most of Verite’s stories for free under a Creative Commons license. For digital publications: Look for the “Republish This Story” button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS).

You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.

You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.

Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.

If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @VeriteNewsNola @VeriteNewsNola For print publications: You have to credit Verite. We prefer “Author Name, Verite News” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Verite News” and include our website, veritenews.org

You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.

You cannot republish our photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor Tim Morris

Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.

You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.

You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.

Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.

If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @VeriteNewsNola on Facebook @VeriteNewsNola on Twitter. If you have any other questions, contact managing editor Tim Morris. Environmental activists prepare for a ‘rough ride’ during Landry administration <h1>Environmental activists prepare for a ‘rough ride’ during Landry administration</h1> by Drew Costley, Verite News November 10, 2023 Environmental and climate advocates in Louisiana are bracing for a dirtier environment and more carbon emissions throughout the state under a Jeff Landry administration. Over the last four years, Louisiana saw unprecedented climate action at the state level with <a href="https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/ExecutiveOrders/2020/JBE-2020-18-Climate-Initiatives-Task-Force.pdf">the creation of a Climate Initiatives Task Force</a> by Gov. John Bel Edwards. Now, advocates are preparing for a regression from gains made under Edwards because, they think, Landry will deregulate the oil and gas industry and halt efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental advocates said that Landry’s administration will be more detrimental to the climate and environment than previous conservative administrations, such as Bobby Jindal’s. And they say that his governorship couldn’t come at a worse time. “We’re in for a rough ride,” said Charles Pfeifer, political chair for the New Orleans chapter of the Sierra Club. “There's no doubt he's going to fully push oil and gas. … Louisiana has clearly always been on that path and needs to steer away from that, but under a Landry administration, that's not going to happen.” Advocates like Pfeifer say they have plenty of reasons to believe that Landry’s administration will further ease what critics say is an <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/welcome-to-cancer-alley-where-toxic-air-is-about-to-get-worse">already lax state regulatory regime</a>, the most recent being the people he has chosen to lead his transition team. In late October, Landry <a href="https://oneteam.la/2023/10/31/governor-elect-jeff-landry-announces-14-transition-councils-and-their-chairs/#stay-in-touch">announced 14 councils</a> that will aid in the transition — including groups focused on environment, energy, chemical and land management — and named the chairs of those councils. Among them are oil and gas industry veterans, including one who has worked with Landry previously on matters pertaining to the industry. Joel Broussard, chair of the Agriculture, Fisheries & Land Management transition council, was the CEO of a fracking company called U.S. Well Services until 2022. Gray Stream, chair of the Energy, Chemical, & Maritime Industry council, owns a carbon capture and storage company and wants to be a leader in that field, according to <a href="https://www.gcscarbon.com/about/">the company’s website</a>. Tony Alford, one of the chairs of the Coast & Environment council, <a href="https://alfordllc.com/tony-alford/">founded an anti-union, Houma-based group</a> called Concerned Citizens for the Community. And lawyer Tim Hardy, the other chair of that council, was hired by Landry to represent the state in failed negotiations with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation into environmental racism in Cancer Alley — the 85-mile strip between New Orleans and Baton Rouge where petrochemical plants disproportionately dirty the air of predominantly Black neighborhoods. At the same time, Hardy <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/10/cancer-alley-louisiana-attorney-general-epa-lawyers-formosa">was working for Formosa Plastics</a>, one of the main subjects of the EPA investigation. Calls and emails to members of the Landry transition committee were not returned by publication time. “In my view, it signals that Jeff Landry will continue to have very close ties to the oil and gas industry and to other industries that either oppose or often resist policy changes that would address climate and environmental concerns,” said Jackson Voss, the climate policy coordinator for the Alliance for Affordable Energy, a New Orleans group that advocates for affordable and environmentally responsible energy. During and prior to his gubernatorial run, Landry has repeatedly signaled his friendly relationship with the industry. <a href="https://www.nola.com/news/politics/elections/jeff-landry-steps-down-from-unusual-board-job-amid-campaign/article_27e9ba9c-bc6e-11ed-9681-67472f1b154d.html">He served on the board</a> of Harvey Gulf, an offshore drilling supplier led by his close political ally Shane Guidry, until just after he announced his run for governor. Earlier this year, he <a href="https://veritenews.org/2023/07/31/louisiana-epa-lawsuit-civil-rights-act/">sued the EPA</a> to stop the Cancer Alley investigation, even as negotiations between the state and the federal agency were ongoing. The EPA dropped its Cancer Alley investigation about a month after Landry filed the suit. And just weeks before the October election, <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/jeff-landry-api-sue-biden-over-gulf-of-mexico-lease-sale/article_070e8668-435a-11ee-b408-1f0df8e83051.html">he teamed up</a> with the American Petroleum Institute, the country’s largest oil and gas lobbying firm , and Chevron to sue the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Department of the Interior to get them to expand the amount of land being sold for offshore drilling. Throughout Landry’s time in Congress and as the state’s attorney general, the industry has been his largest donor, giving nearly $480,000, according to campaign finance reporting website <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/jeff-landry/summary?cid=N00031503&cycle=CAREER&type=I">OpenSecrets.org</a>. While in Congress, Landry infamously held up a sign that read <a href="https://www.nola.com/news/politics/rep-jeff-landry-sends-a-message-to-president-barack-obama/article_535e51f1-39fc-5787-980a-0e05d41ff4e2.html">“Drilling = jobs”</a> during a speech on jobs by President Barack Obama. He’s also called climate change and global warming <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/embed/video/110265178/">a hoax</a>. His election to Louisiana’s governorship comes at a crucial time in the fight to mitigate the worse impacts of climate change, advocates said. <a href="https://essd.copernicus.org/preprints/essd-2021-386/essd-2021-386.pdf">International climate experts said</a> the global community has until roughly 2032 to slash emissions enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Landry could be in office for the entire time remaining in that forecast. Louisiana has the fifth highest carbon dioxide emissions per capita in the country despite being the 25th largest state by population, according to data from the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/">U.S. Energy Information Administration</a>, so advocates say it is crucial the state move toward decarbonization. "I don't see any way he's going to be helping cut back on oil and gas. There'll probably be more of the same," Pfeifer said. "And really the whole world needs to be taking action now." Over the next four years, environmental and climate organizations in Louisiana said they will oppose any state regulations that lead to more pollution or carbon emissions and push for climate action while focusing on what progress can be made on the local level with federal support. Consumer tax credits, loans and some grants, such as project and categorical grants for green infrastructure projects, can bypass state government and go directly to local communities, nonprofit groups and individuals through the <a href="https://www.bluegreenalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/BGA-IRA-User-GuideFINAL-1.pdf">Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress last year</a>. “We’re going to continue to push for changes that allow for renewable energy to be adopted in Louisiana,” Voss said, “while also encouraging the public to become more active in these fights whether it's at the Public Service Commission, the Louisiana Legislature or elsewhere.” This <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org/2023/11/10/environmental-groups-prepare-for-rough-ride-during-landry-administration/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://veritenews.org">Verite News</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/veritenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-Verite-icon.png?fit=150%2C150&ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://veritenews.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=10499" style="width:1px;height:1px;"> Copy to Clipboard

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://veritenews.org/2023/11/10/environmental-groups-prepare-for-rough-ride-during-landry-administration/

Published and (C) by Verite News New Orleans
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 US.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/veritenews/