Numerous pending lawsuits against energy companies in Louisiana could threaten the future of President Donald Trump’s vision to unleash American energy production in the state, according to a letter by former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr to Louisiana’s top prosecutor.
Barr sent a letter on Wednesday to the Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill over the “wave of 43 lawsuits” that hold oil and gas companies responsible for coastal erosion in the state, arguing that the state “seems to have largely ceded control of the litigation to the private plaintiffs’ lawyers.” The letter follows a Louisiana jury verdict on April 5 that required the oil and gas company Chevron to pay roughly $745 million to the Plaquemines Parish for coastal damages from wetland pollution and loss.
READ: U.S. Targets Iranian Oil Network With New Sanctions On Chinese, UAE, And Indian Entities
“These lawsuits seek to impose ruinous, retroactive liability for oil and gas producers based on decades of activities that were expressly permitted by all relevant federal, state and local authorities and that generated the energy, employment and revenue that once made Louisiana a leading contributor to American prosperity,” Barr wrote in the letter. “We are concerned these suits, if they continue, will impact critical current [liquified natural gas] LNG plants and operations in the coastal zone, curtail new energy investments in Louisiana, constrain funding available for new production in the Gulf of America, and undermine President Trump’s efforts to re-establish American energy dominance.”
While the lawsuit against Chevron points to oil drilling as a major source of damage to the coastal region, environmentalist organizations, academic literature and Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, the state’s former attorney general, have also referenced levying — frequently completed by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to limit hurricane damage — as harmful to the region, according to the letter.
The letter represents the concerns of the American Free Enterprise Chamber of Commerce, the American Energy Institute, the United States Energy Association and First Principles, and points to Trump’s Tuesday executive order, which states that “American energy suffers” when states “subject energy producers to arbitrary or excessive fines through retroactive penalties.”
READ: Florida Files State Charges, Including Terrorism, Against Suspect In Trump Assassination Attempt
Trump has championed an American energy production revival, stating throughout his 2024 campaign that he wanted to “drill, baby, drill,” in reference to oil drilling on U.S. soil.
“The State’s role in this litigation is particularly troubling in light of its previous posture on the causes of Louisiana’s coastal problems,” Barr wrote in the letter, referencing Landry’s 2018 lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed USACE “is responsible for a vast majority of our Louisiana coastal problems,” according to the letter.
When Landry first became the state’s attorney general in 2016, he moved to intervene in the local government lawsuits against the oil and gas companies and said they had “differing, and competing interests” that affected Louisiana’s coastal restoration and economy, according to NOLA.com, a local New Orleans publication.
Landry appeared to change his stance in 2021, after signing on to a $100 million settlement agreement with Freeport-McMoRan, a petrochemical company.
The Baton Rouge law firm Talbot, Carmouche and Marcello, which represented the local government’s lawsuit against Chevron for wetlands damages, also donated $300,000 to the Protect Louisiana’s Children PAC, which supported Landry’s gubernatorial run in 2023, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.
READ: Op-Ed: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Or $50 Oil — Trump Can’t Have Both
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to the hard work performed by the jury in this complicated case. The jury diligently performed its duty with a painstaking review of the documents and testimony and I believe the verdict is fair,” Murrill said in a statement on the Chevron ruling, provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We all want the best for our State, and I appreciate the judge and members of the jury for their hard work in the case.”
Murrill said that Chevron “knew the law, but chose profits over environmental compliance.”
“While I have great respect and admiration for Bill Barr, he unfortunately has both the facts and the law wrong,” Murrill continued. “With regard to the recent jury verdict against Chevron, he is unfortunately wrong about the facts and the law. Louisiana is and will continue to be a leading energy producer for the nation. I have encouraged our elected leaders to pursue energy production solutions and likewise to adopt a sensible, predictable enforcement regime.”
“The recent press offensive omits these important facts, and omits critical elements of the law,” she said. “The jury carefully examined the evidence and only held Chevron responsible for its share of fault. I will continue to be a champion of this energy sector, which contributes greatly to American energy independence and security. I will also ensure that industry complies with our laws.”
“The phenomenon of land loss and coastal erosion in Louisiana has long been studied and has been largely attributed to federal management of the Mississippi River and natural processes such as hurricanes,” Barr wrote in the letter. “It is well understood that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built extensive levees and diversions and conducted dredging that prevents Mississippi River sediment from reaching and settling in the coastal marshes.”
“Coastal researchers agree that leveeing of the Mississippi River in the early 20th century, which cut off a sediment supply to the coastal plain, was a main cause that led to increasing rates of Louisiana’s coastal plain land loss,” a 2022 Louisiana State University paper reads.
A 1989 Springer study published similar findings regarding the construction of artificial levees causing major “coastal wetland loss in southeastern Louisiana.”
“Louisiana’s coastline is vanishing at an alarming rate,” Kelly McNab wrote in a 2023 post for the National Audubon Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental conservation work. The post referenced the erosion of coastal wetlands in Louisiana, worsened by leveeing the Mississippi river.
Barr stressed that the lawsuits could impede future LNG developments in Louisiana if firms begin to anticipate lengthy legal battles.
“The American Energy Institute proudly stands with Attorney General Barr in opposing these meritless, retroactive lawsuits targeting energy producers for activities lawfully permitted and essential to America’s prosperity. These cases are about enriching trial lawyers at the expense of American jobs, energy security, and constitutional due process,” Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, wrote in a statement provided to the DCNF. “We urge Louisiana’s leadership to reject this coordinated attack on one of the state’s most vital industries and align with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting American Energy from State Overreach, which rightly defends lawful energy production from politically motivated litigation.”
Chevron, Plaquemines Parish, Carmouche and Landry’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
