Bill seeks to make Louisiana ‘fossil fuel sanctuary’ in bid against Biden’s climate plans
Floodlight's latest story from Sara Sneath with the Louisiana Illuminator is a window into how oil and gas states—even those with Democratic leadership—are pushing back against the Biden administration's climate efforts.
Sneath's story builds on her coverage of the Louisiana legislature, where a lawmaker who owns an oil company has proposed a bill to make the state a 'fossil fuel sanctuary' where federal environmental rules don't apply. The legislation will not move forward in its current form because of legality concerns. But it didn't go without support.
Last week, when asked by other lawmakers about the constitutionality of the bill, representative Danny McCormick, a Republican, said he wasn’t aware anyone was opposed to the measure. “I don’t know who would have a problem with it, honestly,” he said.
McCormick represents Oil City, which is just north of the predominantly black city of Shreveport, where residents already breathe some of the most toxic air in the country.
Floodlight's partner on this story, the Louisiana Illuminator, is part of States Newsroom, the critically-needed nonprofit network of state-based outlets that covers news from state capitals.
The Illuminator's editor, Jarvis DeBerry, spent 22 years at The Times-Picayune (and later NOLA.com).
As Floodlight grows, we are focusing on both in-depth investigations of corporate influence and reporting from inside the states at the frontlines of climate battles. Expect more with publications like the Illuminator.