President-elect Donald Trump’s energy policies could provide an economic gusher for Louisiana, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy tells the USA Today Network of Louisiana.
“We’re an energy state and President Obama’s policies have clearly been prejudicial against our industry in a way that President-elect Trump won’t be,” says Cassidy.
The Republican senator says he hasn’t spoken with Trump since the election, but adds he’s excited about “the possibilities in the oil and gas industry, which will be great for our country’s economy and for Louisiana’s.”
The president-elect hasn’t rolled out a specific energy plan. However, he has generally spoken about less regulations and fewer restrictions on drilling in the Gulf and on other federal lands, and has voiced support for pipeline construction like the controversial Keystone project.
Thousands of Louisiana jobs have disappeared in and around the state’s oil patches. Although much of the decline can be attributed to low prices, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association President Chris John says Obama’s policies—from regulations to the temporary moratorium on drilling in the gulf following the BP oil spill—also contributed to the slump.
“From what we’re reading and hearing all of the things we’ve worked for and tried to accomplish—access to federal lands, the Gulf of Mexico, and pipelines—are all possibilities,” John says. “Given what we’ve dealt with the last eight years (with President Obama), anything will be better than what we had.”
