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LOGA Responds to BOEM’s Reinstatement of Lease Sale 257 Bids
In compliance with the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM) announced today that the 307 highest value bids from Lease Sale 257 held in November of 2021 would be reinstated, totaling $189,888,271. The bids had been invalidated by a federal judge earlier this year.
In response Louisiana Oil & Gas Association President Mike Moncla issued the following statement:
“This has been a long time coming. On behalf of the Louisiana Oil & Gas Association, I want to thank Attorney General Jeff Landry for his strong, capable leadership that helped make this lease sale possible.
While the oil and gas industry focuses on creating jobs and fostering economic investment in Louisiana, President Biden and the Democrats continue to promote harmful regulations that hurt American families.
The President fought as hard as he could to stop this sale from happening. But through the work of Jeff Landry, justice has prevailed.
This lease sale is an important victory, not only for the 250,000+ oil and gas workers in the state but for every American who is facing high energy costs as a result of our diminished oil and gas supply.
We look forward to working with Attorney General Landry as we continue our opposition to the Biden administration’s failed energy policies that have hindered our true potential as the energy powerhouse of the world.”
Hearing in Ways and Means Committee on Eliminating Louisiana Income Tax
Photo source: Louisiana House Page
The Louisiana House Ways and Means Committee met Tuesday to begin study of a proposal to eliminate the state’s individual and corporate income taxes. During the 2022 regular session, the legislature passed House Resolution 178, sponsored by Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, to study the state’s tax structure and recommend whether state income taxes should be eliminated and how the state’s many tax exemptions and credits could be reformed.
At Tuesday’s hearing, Nelson told the committee the state’s complicated tax structure is a reason why it continues to lose population. Louisiana has not added a congressional seat since 1910 and instead loses an average of one district every 20 years, he noted.
“At the end of the day, we’re a banana republic that’s run out of bananas,” Nelson said.
Read more: Nelson pitches end of Louisiana income tax to lawmakers
Louisiana Comes in 9th on Heritage's Education Freedom List
Higgins Urges Department Of Transportation To Approve Mega Grant For I-10 Calcasieu River Bridge
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) is calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to schedule H.R. 82, the Social Security Fairness Act, for a vote on the House floor.
The bill, which would repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), exceeded 290 co-sponsors in July and was moved to the consensus calendar. However, the bill has not been formally scheduled for a vote and could be delayed until the end of November.
“We are respectfully asking Speaker Pelosi to bring the Social Security Fairness Act for a vote on the House floor. If you pay into Social Security, you should be able to collect your fair share when the time comes,” said Congressman Higgins. “Too many seniors are unfairly penalized by the GPO and WEP, and this injustice must be corrected. I am a co-sponsor of the bill, and we strongly support its passage.”
Higgins Reintroduces Legislation To Combat Foreign Seafood Dumping
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) has reintroduced H.R. 8732, the Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act of 2022, which protects American consumers and small businesses from foreign seafood dumping.
The bill prohibits the import of foreign seafood that fails to meet U.S. standards for seafood manufacturing, processing, and holding. It also establishes a program for foreign seafood inspection and imposes real penalties for importers and countries that routinely violate U.S. laws.
Historically, only a small percentage of seafood imports have been inspected as they enter the United States, and foreign bad actors often use illegal additives while relying on enslaved workers to harvest seafood. These bad actors are notorious for falsely labeling imports to avoid detection by the FDA. This irresponsible and illegal dumping of seafood imports hurts American consumers and the Gulf seafood industry.
The full bill text is available here.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
"Congress must act against illegal seafood dumping. Foreign seafood imports should be held to American standards. The seafood industry is a critical part of Louisiana’s culture and economy. This legislation combats illegal foreign seafood dumping and protects American producers.”
LMOGA President Discusses Importance of Domestic O&G Production
Tommy Faucheux with LMOGA discusses the importance and need for domestic energy production, how it would affect the nation and Louisiana, in general, as well as carbon capture.
Walton and Johnson Agree that Erotic Content Has No Place in Children's Section of Library
In regards to the news story of Michael Lunsford being sued by a librarian in Livingston Parish for defamation, the subject was discussed on the Walton and Johnson show recently.
Read more about the defamation proceeding here: Hearing on librarian’s lawsuit against ‘defamatory’ social media posts gets continued
Louisiana Oil and Gas: Working with Ducks Unlimited to Protect South Louisiana
New Iberia Research Center to Become Hotspot For Biotech
Two new projects in Iberia Parish are catapulting Acadiana into a biopharmaceutical powerhouse.
The new facilities at the New Iberia Research Center will allow researchers to test and manufacture drugs and vaccines.
State and parish leaders say the projects will create hundreds of jobs and save thousands of lives across the globe.
Read more: New Iberia Research Center to become hotspot for biotech
LOGA Responds to Permanent Injunction Issued on Biden Ban on New Oil And Gas Leasing
BATON ROUGE, LA (August 30, 2022) - Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Terry Doughty sided with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and 12 other states in a Louisiana-led lawsuit, issuing a permanent injunction against the Biden administration’s moratorium on new oil and gas leases on federal lands and water.
In response, LOGA President Mike Moncla issued the following statement:
“This ruling is a huge win for domestic energy production in the Gulf of Mexico. The Biden administration, from the day he was sworn in, has declared war on the oil and gas industry.
Prices at the pump have skyrocketed. Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been depleted. We’ve slowly become less and less energy independent. Now, we can get back to being the energy powerhouse of the world.
I’m relieved to see that our system of checks and balances saw to it that Biden way overstepped his authority when banning these lease sales.
I’d like to thank Attorney General Jeff Landry for his diligent work in fighting for domestic production in the Gulf of Mexico.”
On This Date: Hurricane Andrew Strikes Louisiana Gulf Coast
Louisiana wages went up from early 2021, but inflation made the increase nonexistent
The average weekly wage for Louisiana workers rose 8.6% from the first quarter of 2021 through the first quarter of 2022, according to newly released data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but workers also experienced one of the worst 12-month periods for inflation over that same span.
Louisiana was tied for the 16th highest rate of U.S. states and significantly higher than the U.S. average of 6.7%, but due to inflation, Louisianans weren’t bringing home any extra cash.
Over that same period, from March 2021 to March 2022, consumer prices rose 8.5%, which was the largest increase over a 12-month period the nation had seen since December 1981. The 12-month inflation rate would increase to 8.6% and 9.1% in May and June, respectively.
Read more: Louisiana wages went up from early 2021, but inflation made the increase nonexistent
MAGEE: Louisiana Should be Inclusive to All Forms of Energy
JACKSON: Hospital "Grossly Misinterpreted" Louisiana Law
After a Baton Rouge woman was denied an abortion for a fetus without a skull, state Sen. Katrina Jackson and 35 other lawmakers said the hospital “grossly misinterpreted” the state’s exceptions to the abortion ban in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.
“We are issuing this statement today to provide further clarity, although the law in conjunction with the emergency rule is very clear that this young lady is within the exception,” the statement read.
Read more: Louisiana lawmakers say hospital 'grossly misinterpreted' law that allows exceptions to abortion ban
LSU Mounds Identified as Oldest Man-Made Structures in North America
Researchers from the University collected sediment core samples, revealing layers of ash from burned reed and cane plants, as well as remains of burned osteons that indicates that the mounds were likely used for ceremonial purposes.
A radiocarbon analysis of the material suggests that the mounds were built over thousands of years, with construction of Mound B starting around 11,000 years ago.
Read more: MOUNDS IDENTIFIED AS OLDEST MAN-MADE STRUCTURES IN NORTH AMERICA
LAWSUIT ABUSE IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR LOUISIANA’S COAST
Photo source: Twitter
In Louisiana, we have a knack for running job creators off to our neighboring states. One of the clearest examples of pushing businesses is out of Louisiana is the slew of frivolous lawsuits levied against oil and gas companies that have caused countless jobs and opportunities to leave our state. A 2019 study found that two years after the lawsuits were first launched, 2,000 jobs were lost directly attributable to the impact of the litigation risk. Proponents of the lawsuits claim the lawsuits will help bring resources to rebuild Louisiana’s coastline. In reality, these lawsuits and the proposed Freeport-McMoRan settlement currently on the table stifle job creation while doing little to nothing for the coast.
Read more: LAWSUIT ABUSE IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR LOUISIANA’S COAST
LA Supreme Court Denies Appeal From Shreveport Abortion Business: Pro-Life Laws Remain in Effect
EMERSON: Anti-abortion law in Louisiana protects the lives of babies and mothers in emergencies
The following was a guest column from Louisiana State Rep. Julie Emerson (R), District 39 - Carencro
To quote Solicitor General Liz Murrill, there’s been a lot of “paint thrown at the wall” to challenge Louisiana’s Human Life Protection Act (Act 545 of 2022), which protects babies from abortion after the reversal of Roe v. Wade. I was a proud co-author of the bill and carried it on the House floor for Sen. Katrina Jackson, D-Monroe. Importantly, every female state senator and a majority of the female members of the House of Representatives voted in support of Act 545. Elective abortion is not health care, and unborn babies deserve a chance at life just like you and me.
Read more: Guest column: Anti-abortion law in Louisiana protects the lives of babies and mothers in emergencies
