Baton Rouge, LA – Today, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) and the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LMOGA) will hold the first Southern Energy Conference in Lafayette. The event includes a gubernatorial candidate forum, for which the hosts issued an invitation to Governor John Bel Edwards to participate in May – nearly four months in advance.
The oil and gas industry is the largest employer in Louisiana, responsible for over 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and over $2 billion in yearly tax revenue.
But Edwards won’t be there to articulate his vision for the future of the industry that employs more people in Louisiana than any other – or to answer questions about his support for frivolous lawsuits against energy companies that benefit his trial lawyer cronies and kill Louisiana jobs.
Why? He’ll be in Atlanta raising campaign cash from supporters of far-left extremists like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). Warren has promised a moratorium on all new offshore leases and is a co-sponsor of the “Green New Deal” pushed by socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which would destroy Louisiana’s energy industry.
Former Georgia Democratic Governor Roy Barnes, a host of the fundraiser, has donated to Warren, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Hillary Clinton.
Another host, Keith Mason, gave $100,000 to the Hillary Victory Fund in 2016.
“Our economy runs on oil and gas,” explained LAGOP Executive Director Andrew Bautsch. “Green New Deal supporting socialists like John Bel Edwards and Elizabeth Warren are destroying Louisiana jobs!”
At least the people of Louisiana will know where their governor is and what he’s doing when he travels out of state this time. Edwards’ out-of-state trips are typically shrouded in secrecy, including as recently as yesterday when his office refused to tell reporters what he was up to in Houston.
This follows a pattern of Edwards refusing to answer questions and hiding basic information about trips to out-of-state locations including New York City, California, and the Kentucky Derby from the media and the public.
