Hoodwinked! Louisiana Advances Carbon Capture

Although the image suggests this article is about the Public Service Commission race, it’s not. However, the PSC race has presented a unique opportunity for a teachable moment. It’s also a great time to show you some behind-the-scenes things we do here.

Further in the article, we’ll discuss how Carbon Capture and Sequestration is becoming even more ingrained in Louisiana policy. First, it’s important to tell the story of how we got here.

You’re welcome

It’s our job to make Louisiana government more transparent. When we do it well, things begin to change on their own. It’s reminiscent of that moment during the 2016 presidential campaign when referring to job creation, Barack Obama asked rhetorically, “What’s Trump going to do? Wave a magic wand?” Transparency works much the same way. Transparency is the magic wand that can change everything. We say it like this: “If people really knew what their government was doing, their government would stop doing it.” That formula works not only for governments but also for people in government.

In May of this year, we wrote an article titled “Is your electric bill funding BlackRock.” It went into detail about how “Republican” Craig Greene had been helping the Democrats to accomplish their goals using your money. It wasn’t tax dollars, per se, but a vote to increase your electric bill. First, Democrat Foster Campbell had to be elected the Public Service Commission chairman. To accomplish this, Greene abandoned his fellow Republican commissioners Mike Francis and Eric Skrmetta to instead caucus with hard-left Democrat commissioners Devante Lewis and Foster Campbell. Once done, they created a policy raising your electric bills by $15 million annually. That money was then to be used on low-income housing and a myriad of other Democrat Party priorities.

I have had a history with Craig Greene. He once cornered me at an event, pointed at me, and almost screamed, “You never let anything go!” At that moment, I thought he was going to hit me. Well, this BlackRock article was a shot across Craig Greene’s bow. It said to him that someone was paying attention. Not just anyone, but someone he knows “never lets anything go.” A month later, Craig Greene officially announced he was stepping down. You’re welcome.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) became the top issue.

Soon after the announcement, several people began exploring a run. Congressman Garret Graves was the early favorite but quickly said he wasn’t interested. Former state Rep Scott McKnight was also toying with a run but decided against it. Now he’s helping former Democrat state Rep Ted James run for Mayor of Baton Rouge against Republican Sid Edwards. Who else is not surprised?

Senator Jean-Paul Coussan and former state Senator Julie Quinn-Summerville eventually emerged as front-runners. Their fan clubs quickly began lobbing political grenades at one another. Thanks to existing tensions with a Carbon Capture Sequestration (CCS) project at Lake Maurepas in Livingston Parish, CCS became something of a MacGuffin. A “MacGuffin” is defined as something that drives the characters’ actions and is the plot’s focal point, yet its actual importance is overshadowed by the intrigue it generates.

The irony of this story is that the Public Service Commission has no purview over Carbon Capture. There’s absolutely nothing the PSC can do that will either help or hurt Carbon Capture. And yet, it has somehow become a rallying cry for this entire political race. Never mind, both candidates have CCS skeletons in their closets. But I digress… Suffice it to say that I have friends on both sides of this race, and this seat is definitely not worth losing a friendship over. This is especially true because both candidates have witnessed first-hand Greene’s career-ending decision to elect a Democrat chairman. That alone should keep them from doing the same.

Bamboozled!

Disney’s movie The Mighty Ducks included a strategy of deception that I often reflect on. In it, the kid’s hockey coach, played by Emilio Estevez, had a team reminiscent of the Bad News Bears. To be clear, I’m not referring to Tanner “Bad News Bears” Magee, but the kid’s baseball movie from the 1970s. The films are similar in that the coach figured out and focused on strengths to accomplish great things.

In The Mighty Ducks, one of the more impressive tactics was the “Statue of Liberty Play.” The key player’s strength was, well, strength! His weakness was accuracy. During warmup, the coach had him hit hockey pucks with such force that they broke the protective wall and otherwise wreaked sufficient damage to strike fear in the other team. When the play was called during a game, the player would raise his hockey stick over his head as if he was going to send the puck with tremendous force. The entire other team dove for cover while a more nimble player took the puck and scored.

That reminds me of what’s been happening with Carbon Capture and Sequestration in Louisiana. While everyone was distracted by the irrelevant PSC race, CCS tentacles were stretched further into state policy. What’s worse is no one even noticed.

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

I often refer to Sun Tzu’s The Art of War at times like these. In 1§24, it says: “Attack him where he is unprepared. Appear where you are not expected.” That last part is also repeated in 6§5. It’s similar to that sneak-attack strategy from The Mighty Ducks. The Carbon Capture proponents have tapped into a plan that has worked for thousands of years, and we all fell for it.

On Wednesday, in an otherwise empty chamber, the Louisiana Tax Commission had a six-minute meeting that added five pages of Carbon Capture language to Louisiana’s tax policy. I feel like that should be repeated: six minutes. The various members took turns proposing several different but related and interdependent changes, which were all passed with unanimous consent. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the outcome of that meeting had been pre-determined well ahead of the public “show” meeting. It has all the telltale signs of a violation of open meetings law.

The Louisiana Tax Commission meeting agenda was deceptively simple and did not mention Carbon Capture. I’ll let you decide if that was on purpose.

I. Call to Order

II. Roll Call

III. Supplemental Adoption of Proposed Amendments and Updates to Louisiana Tax

Commission Rules and Regulations

IV. Remarks by the Chairman and Commission Members

V. Adjournment

So, there you have it. While you were making noise about the Public Service Commission race, which has nothing to do with Carbon Capture, the Old Louisiana government culture did what it always does. It eagerly jumped through any hoops necessary to coax federal bribe money into the banana republic known as Louisiana.

The five pages of tax amendment proposals will leave no doubt who’s behind these changes. It’s not anyone on or running for the Public Service Commission. It’s just your ordinary, everyday lobbyists (you’re shocked, I can tell). They include the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, the Louisiana Chemical Association, and the Louisiana Assessor’s Association.

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