U.S. Senator John Kennedy says President Joe Biden has delivered a devastating blow to Louisiana’s economy by placing a moratorium on new oil and gas lease sales on federal lands and in federal waters. including the Gulf of Mexico. Kennedy says the executive order is a job killer.
“This is not just going to impact oil and gas jobs and families,” said Kennedy. “This is going to hurt petrochemical. It’s going to hurt our refineries. This is going to cause people to leave our state. If we lose all these jobs and people leave, the average age in Louisiana is going to be deceased.”
Kennedy is calling on his Democratic colleagues in the state legislature and in local governments to call the White House and let them know how much this will hurt.
“I can’t imagine anything right now—in the middle of a coronavirus when our economy is shut down—I can’t imagine much that would be worse for Louisiana families,” said Kennedy.
Environmentalists applaud the moratorium and the efforts by the Biden administration to reduce emissions.
But Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards believes a balance can be struck between oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico while also protecting the environment.
“We are wanting to do what we can to influence the administration coming out of the moratorium as to what’s going to be in place going forward so that we advance the interest of our state, but also of our country,” said Edwards.
The moratorium will not impact ongoing drilling operations, but energy experts say the President’s climate plan is not good for Louisiana’s oil and gas industry.
Edwards says it will take decades to move away from fossil fuels towards more renewable energy resources, which is why oil and gas production is still vital.
“I look forward to working with the administration in Washington to make our case as to why we ought to be able to continue that,” said Edwards.
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