Louisiana holds one of the richest energy portfolios on Earth: abundant resources, unmatched ports, a proven workforce, and a strategic position at the crossroads of global trade. We should be the undisputed leader in America’s energy story. Instead, we are locked in a defensive battle over our own backyard.
A new Pelican Institute report, Barriers to Louisiana Energy Dominance, cuts straight to the core issues: outdated policies, regulatory uncertainty, runaway litigation, and aggressive advocacy campaigns largely driven by out-of-state actors intent on destroying our energy sector.
The Pelican Institute embraces robust, open debate from all sides. Louisianans deserve to hear from local voices, industry experts, environmental advocates, and national leaders alike. Strong policy emerges from candid discussions and vigorous debates, and we have no interest in shutting down any viewpoint. But, honest debate should be rooted in facts and transparent on the goals of policy recommendations.
Using publicly available data from the Foundation Directory and ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, we examined funding flows to 12 Louisiana-based members of Louisianans Against False Solutions (LAFS), a coalition openly advocating for rapid fossil fuel phase-out. The numbers are striking: since 2020, these organizations have received at least $115.5 million, with 98.4% originating from outside Louisiana. The biggest contributors are from California ($42.9M), Washington, D.C. ($21.9M), and New York City ($17.7M), together accounting for 71.5% of the total.
These groups hold aggressively different perspectives on the importance of American energy dominance or the critical role that Louisiana plays in it. They do not share our values on the economic impact of our energy industry. From high-paying jobs and opportunities to the tax revenue that supports local schools, hospitals and coastal restoration efforts, energy fuels our economy.
These philanthropic climate activists are united by one single, unambiguous goal, and it has nothing to do with Louisianians or our private property rights. By their own admission, their goal is to fund litigation, advocacy, and community organizing to disrupt the development of oil, natural gas, and related energy infrastructure projects for the express purpose of phasing out the production and use of fossil fuels worldwide.
When nearly every dollar fueling anti-energy advocacy in Louisiana arrives from groups like this, the narrative that these efforts reflect purely local concerns merits close examination.
Particularly concerning are groups that present themselves as conservative property-rights advocates while aligning with hard-left environmental organizations. The Louisiana CO2 Alliance and its umbrella, Save My Louisiana, position themselves as protectors of rural communities against carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects. Yet a leaked recording from a Sierra Club-sponsored Zoom call, reported by DC Journal in February 2026, captured a board member coordinating with anti-fossil-fuel activists and describing the strategy as “cutting off the head of the snake.” The alliance’s new president has a social media record opposing conservatives and fracking.
Meanwhile, and even more disturbing than private philanthropy, the alliance’s chair includes elected parish officials who have used public taxpayer funds to fund lobbying efforts at the Legislature. Louisianans are footing the bill for advocacy they may not support. That’s not good for anyone.
None of this is to say every local opponent of a pipeline or CCS project is acting in bad faith. Property rights concerns are real and deserve genuine engagement. Legitimate disputes over siting, compensation, and community impact should be heard and resolved fairly. That’s exactly the kind of debate a free society should have. But when that opposition is dramatically amplified by networks with an entirely different climate-justice agenda, the public deserves to know.
The economic stakes couldn’t be higher. Louisiana’s share of U.S. GDP has slipped from 1.4% in 2009 to 1.1% in 2024, or more than $600 billion in lost economic activity. Our oil and gas sector’s contribution to state GDP has fallen from over 7% to under 3% in recent years, driven largely by legal and regulatory risk.
Capital is mobile. When Louisiana sends mixed signals through excessive litigation, shifting regulations, and manufactured opposition, investment doesn’t wait around – it goes to Texas, North Dakota, and states that have figured out what we apparently have not: energy dominance requires a policy environment that welcomes development.
Louisiana thrives when free markets work, private property rights are respected, and American energy is produced rapidly and responsibly. Our workers and job creators have proven that for over a century. It’s time to tune out the noise, focus on the facts, and get back to doing what Louisiana does best.
The 2026 legislative session is underway. Will our leaders seize the moment – or let outside actors dictate Louisiana’s future?
