WASHINGTON — Donald Trump ran promising that when he assumed the presidency again, he would close the border and deport immigrants here illegally, raise tariffs on imported goods and quickly end Russia’s war with Ukraine.
But for Louisiana, the biggest impact of a Trump presidency might be his repeated promises to expand the production of oil and gas while redirecting federal grants aimed at jump-starting the "green energy" industry to reduce climate change.
While many Louisiana politicians and businesses cheer the potential changes, environmentalists are already warning against policies that would contribute to global warming and accelerate coastal land loss and devastating storms and floods.
At one point during the campaign, Trump quipped he would be “dictator for one day,†in part to increase energy production. A frequent refrain at campaign events was “drill, drill, drill.†Republican congressional candidates picked up the refrain for their campaigns.
At an Election Day event in Pennsylvania, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who lives atop north Louisiana's Haynesville Shale oil and gas field, said to a cheering crowd that a new Trump administration would “frack, frack, frack.â€
He also said Trump would lift the Biden Administration's order delaying construction of liquified natural gas facilities. President Joe Biden said the move was meant to create time to determine what impact the LNG plants have on neighboring communities, many of which are majority Black and lower income.
That order stirred stiff criticism in Louisiana, which accounts for s.
Much of Louisiana's congressional delegation is eager to back Trump's proposed changes to oil and gas policies.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, from Jefferson, wasted no time weighing in on energy issues Wednesday.
“American families and small businesses deserve a strong national energy strategy that embraces American-made energy through increased exploration and production, regulatory certainty, and an ‘all of the above’ approach, which will lower the price of energy,†he said. “With President Trump in the White House, we will again unleash American energy.â€
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Baton Rouge Republican, has helped draft GOP legislation that addressed expanding energy production and reducing regulations.
“President Trump will reopen the Gulf of Mexico and other American energy sources to meet domestic and global demand,†Graves said Wednesday. “You will see lower prices, lower global emissions and greater economic opportunity for Louisianans and other energy-producing states.â€
Mike Moncla, who heads the Baton Rouge-based , contends Biden Administration decisions stifled work in Louisiana’s oil fields.
“Industries with expensive long-term projects like offshore exploration and LNG are looking for certainty in the marketplace,†he said.
Earlier this year, Trump solicited Big Oil executives to contribute to his campaign. He vowed to issue “immediate approvals†for production and to cut federal environmental and regulatory agencies that oversee oil and gas drilling, particularly in the Gulf of Mexico.
“There’s so many things you can do,†Trump told Fox »Æ¹Ï´«Ã½ in June. “One of the things that is so bad for us is the environmental agencies. They make it impossible to do anything.â€
In his first term, Trump overturned more than 100 environmental rules. He pulled the U.S. out of the global Paris climate accords, which had set international goals for reducing carbon emissions. Trump has also said he will stop funding an initiative to build more electric vehicles.
He wanted energy exploration in an Alaskan wildlife refuge, supported construction on the controversial Keystone pipeline and limited environment reviews for some drilling, refining and other energy-related infrastructure projects.
Oil companies reported record profits and fossil fuel production hit historic highs under the Biden administration. But oil industry analysts say it takes at least seven years after a lease sale to develop production, and they attribute the increase seen during the past four years under Biden to Trump’s first term. Under Biden, offshore lease sales were often held up by environmental concerns and became infrequent — there were none in 2024.
Traditional energy has provided thousands of well-paying jobs for Louisiana since 1901. The oil and gas industry directly supports 249,800 jobs that paid wages of about $14.5 billion in Louisiana, according to a citing 2020 figures. The industry accounted for nearly $4.5 billion of state and local tax revenue in 2019, which represents 14.6% of total state taxes, licenses and fees collected, LMOGA says.
But concerns about climate change — which scientists note contributes to Louisiana's steady coastal land loss — has prompted the federal government and many major corporations to pump money into alternative energy sources that also are creating jobs and wealth in Louisiana. The green energy projects are in their infancy.
Trump and his supporters are already encountering pushback on his promises to bolster drilling.
The U.S. Climate Alliance, America Is All In, and Climate Mayors — which together represent 24 governors, 350 mayors, and environmental institutions — issued a statement Wednesday promising to continue the fight to further legislation and programs that counter the effects of climate change.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. General Russel Honoré, a prominent Baton Rouge environmentalist, noted that work in the oil fields is based on the price of oil on the open markets, not the wishes of companies and their political allies. Increased production will drive down the price below levels at which private companies can justify the investment, which experts peg at $60 per barrel, thus reduce drilling, he said.
Further deregulation will only add to environmental problems and increase the number of orphan wells, thousands of which already dot Louisiana, he said. The industry already profits from tax breaks and royalty deferments that keep the amount sent to state and local governments at a minimum, he said.
“It may have sustained some jobs, but it has not brought great wealth to the state,†Honoré said. “Why doesn’t Cameron Parish have the best schools? The point I’m making is that it doesn’t fall out locally.â€
