Outsider Meddlers Are Preventing Louisiana's Energy Wealth and Doninance
Report reveals rich out-of-state donors fueling Louisiana’s anti-energy movement
Report reveals rich out-of-state donors fueling Louisiana’s anti-energy movement
(Capital Research Center) - A recent report by the Pelican Institute for Public Policy provides a case study on the influence of nonprofit-networks, funded by a small set of powerful foundations, on public policy in Louisiana.
Barriers to Louisiana Energy Dominance outlines, beyond legal and regulatory factors, a “sophisticated network of advocacy organizations” and the methods by which it influences the public, policymakers, and energy production. Some of the more striking takeaways from the report include a claim of Chinese communist influence, one rather Machiavellian public influence campaign, and Michael Bloomberg’s role in Louisiana state and local policy.
The network
The report centers its analysis on a coalition known as Louisianans Against False Solutions (LAFS), a group of nonprofits advocating for a transition away from fossil fuels. According to the study, twelve Louisiana-based members of this coalition collectively received at least $115.5 million in funding since 2020, 98.4 percent of which originated outside of the state. Members of LAFS include Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Taproot Earth, and Alliance for Affordable Energy.
These networks are intricate. Multiple LAFS members are fiscally sponsored projects of other organizations; others are networks themselves of nonprofits. LAFS itself is a fiscally sponsored project of the Foundation for Louisiana.
The funders
The study identifies the top 30 donors to Louisiana-based LAFS members. The five with the largest contributions are…
You have no idea how much land and resources were stolen from the people who were here before Europeans invasion cuz our land was South of New Orleans and we tried to fight to get it back but after a fire and a few hurricanes will wipe out all the land deeds