Louisiana Redefines ‘Green’: Natural Gas Given Environmental Halo Under New Bill

Louisiana lawmakers are cooking up something special in Baton Rouge. They’re pushing bills to slap a “green” label on natural gas. Yes, the same fossil fuel that powers your stove is getting an environmental makeover.

House Resolution 104 wants a committee to define what counts as “green energy.” Guess what’s on the guest list? Natural gas, right alongside solar panels and biodiesel. The state legislature is lumping liquefied natural gas with actual renewable energy sources for tax incentives. Nothing says “environmental protection” like burning hydrocarbons, apparently.

Louisiana lawmakers want natural gas classified as green energy alongside solar panels and biodiesel.

These politicians claim it’s about economic growth and competitiveness. They’re dressing up natural gas as sustainable energy to attract investment and create jobs. Senate Bill 26 even offers tax credits for vehicles retrofitted to run on liquefied natural gas. Because nothing screams “save the planet” like subsidizing more ways to burn fossil fuels.

The legislative push doesn’t stop there. Multiple bills are tackling carbon capture and sequestration infrastructure tied to natural gas operations. There’s talk about expropriation authority for CO₂ pipelines and compensation for stranded mineral rights. One particular bill protects mineral servitude ownership in areas designated for carbon dioxide sequestration projects. Property owners affected by these projects are getting enhanced notification requirements. It’s a whole regulatory circus. Local option bills that would give communities more control over CCS infrastructure placement didn’t even make it out of committee.

Louisiana wants to be a leader in “demonstrating and validating new sustainable energy sources.” By sustainable, they mean natural gas. The Department of Energy and Natural Resources is getting special task forces to coordinate this green energy policy. They’re updating regulatory review processes to accommodate these expanded definitions.

The fiscal policy tools are designed to reduce costs for businesses and consumers adapting to natural gas technologies. Tax credits here, incentives there. All wrapped up in a pretty green bow. The state aims to keep Louisiana competitive in national clean energy markets by simply redefining what “clean” means. This strategy echoes the actions of major oil companies who are scaling back renewable investments due to the higher profit margins available from fossil fuels.

This isn’t just wordplay. It’s legislative alchemy, turning fossil fuels into environmental gold. Louisiana lawmakers are betting that if they call natural gas “green” enough times, maybe everyone will forget it’s still a fossil fuel. The planet might have opinions about that, but hey, economic development waits for no one.