Biden administration’s green pivot makes future fuzzy for Louisiana oil and gas

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - With the stroke of a pen on Wednesday, Mike Moncla was concerned. The future of Louisiana’s oil and gas industry is murky according to industry leaders, like Moncla, interim president of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association. The concern stems from President Joe Biden signing an executive order aiming to curb oil and gas activity on federal lands in the U.S.

“It’s a pretty clear message and it’s very demoralizing,” said Moncla.

Moncla believes 48,000 jobs are at risk in Louisiana.

“It’s such a punch in the gut to the oil and gas industry because we were already on our knees,” said Moncla.

The order is part of President Biden’s plan to mitigate the climate crisis with a pivot to cleaner energy. Moncla and Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) argue all energy is necessary, including oil and gas.

“Production is going to continue, consumption is going to continue, but the money is going to be moved outside the United States of America,” said Higgins.

In his remarks President Biden repeatedly said moving to cleaner energies will create millions of high-paying jobs for Americans.

“We’re bold. We’re unwavering in the pursuit of jobs, innovation, science and discovery,” said President Biden.

He says the nation has waited too long to deal with climate change and wants to immediately address the national security threat. President Biden’s winning campaign consistently emphasized the need to address climate change with measures like these.

“We can’t wait any longer. We see it with our own eyes, we feel it, we know it in our bones,” said Biden.

The president also rejoined the Paris Climate agreement, a global effort to mitigate climate change from which President Trump pulled the U.S.

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