Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has signed into law the Louisiana Energy Protection Act, legislation aimed at shielding energy producers and other industries around the state against lawsuits claiming damages from climate change. The governor said the law is effectively “closing the door to frivolous litigation” filed against Louisiana companies.

Background

The law bars civil lawsuits filed in Louisiana state courts seeking personal injury, property, or economic damages tied to greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. However, lawsuits are still allowed in Louisiana state courts if a company violates government-mandated emission caps, workplace safety standards, or the explicit terms of its environmental permits.

House Bill 804 moved through the state legislature in the 2026 session, passing 31-3 in the Senate and 92-5 in the House before being sent to the governor’s desk for signature. The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association, or LMOGA, President Tommy Faucheux said the law’s passage is one of the signature accomplishments of the past legislative session, which ended June 1.

Environmental advocacy groups argued in committee testimony that the legislation goes too far in shielding corporate polluters. Opponents, including the Sierra Club’s Delta Chapter in New Orleans, contended the law unfairly strips local communities and coastal parishes of their legal right to hold large industries financially accountable for the economic impacts of rising sea levels and intensifying gulf storms.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.