Attorney General Jeff Landry was in town today to speak to the Kiwanis, and we caught up with him to ask about this week's hearing in a suit against the federal government.
The lawsuit, filed by Louisiana and 12 other states, asks the court to stop the Biden Administration's moratorium on drilling on federal lands. To read our story about the filing of the suit, click here.
On Thursday, the parties will argue over a proposed Preliminary Injunction that the states have requested. If granted, it would prevent the federal government from enforcing the moratorium until the lawsuit makes its way through the courts.
In order to grant the injunction, the court would have to determine that the moratorium isn't in compliance with federal law; that if the moratorium isn't stopped the states suing will incur harm that can't be repaired; that the states' interests outweigh any benefit the moratorium might have and that halting the moratorium is in the public interest.
Landry said the moratorium is causing "havoc amongst our oil and gas jobs here in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast."
"We're hoping to get a great ruling from the judge, get an injunction on it and get our ladies and men back to work in the Gulf of Mexico," the AG said.
He said the moratorium is "certainly" affecting jobs in Lafayette.
"It's had a chilling effect on the oil and gas industry. Companies can't plan. They don't know - there's a lot of uncertainty. Anytime the government creates uncertainty in any industry, it affects our jobs," he said.
The hearing is set for Thursday in Lafayette federal court.
