Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry Doesn’t Just Talk the Talk, He Walks the Walk on Energy Dominance

President Donald J. Trump’s energy plans to promote oil and gas production can reset the world stage, and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is on board. This month he signed into law a bill that prioritizes production of fossil fuels and nuclear power, rather than wind and solar power, in his state.

The new law, Act 462 (formerly HB 692), sponsored by Rep. Jacob Landry (no relation to Gov. Landry), requires the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources to focus on production of domestic fuel, rather than energy sources that rely on foreign countries for materials. The law extends the definition of green energy to nuclear power and natural gas.

This law is so obvious that it is surprising that it needs to be passed at all, especially in Louisiana, which has no requirement to produce electricity from wind and solar power. Rates, at 13 cents per kilowatt hour, are below the U.S. average, but they have risen steadily from 9 cents per kilowatt hour in 2020.

The top 10 states for residential electricity prices (except Alaska, which has few residents spread out over a large geographic area) all have requirements to use wind and solar power to generate electricity. They would do well to copy Louisiana’s new law. Their lower electricity prices would benefit their residents and attract additional manufacturing, generating increased employment.