President Trump Returns to Louisiana, Supports Oil and Gas Industry

(Baton Rouge, LA) – President Donald Trump will get a first-hand look at the soon-to-be-opened Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. The visit will be the President’s third trip to Louisiana since he took office in 2017, and comes just weeks after Vice President Mike Pence was in Louisiana to visit the site of one of the St. Landry Parish churches destroyed by arson.

“It is comforting to have President Trump and his administration standing with Louisiana through good times and bad,” said LAGOP Chairman Louis Gurvich. “The people of Louisiana appreciate a President who fights for them.”

During his first term, President Trump focused on unleashing American energy by cutting red-tape and eliminating burdensome regulations. The results were almost instantaneous. Last year, energy production spiked 8% from 2017, with more than half the growth being fueled by natural gas and oil.

Last month President Trump issued an Executive Order to promote energy infrastructure and economic growth. The President has set a clear example that support from the executive branch of government can be a tremendous catalyst for growth in the oil and gas industry.

Unfortunately, in Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards instead concentrated on maximizing legal fees for his campaign donors through new lawsuits against Louisiana oil and gas producers. “If the parishes don’t sue, the state will,” threatened Governor Edwards. According to the LSU Center for Energy Studies, legacy lawsuits have cost Louisiana thousands of wells and billions of dollars.

Now up for re-election, Governor Edwards has stopped talking about the lawsuits and shifted to vague talking-points and photo ops, hoping to hide his dismal economic record while taking credit for economic growth caused by President Trump.

“Governor Edwards should follow the President’s example and start supporting Louisiana’s oil and gas industry instead of extorting them with lawsuits,” commented LAGOP Executive Director Andrew Bautsch.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 13, 2019 Contact: Jason Harbison jason@lagop.com