Gov. Landry among 20 Republican governors demanding Biden deregulate American energy policy

Zoom in: A press conference announcing the letter brought a number of Landry's fellow Republican governors to the Chalmette Refinery, with a tangle of pipes and American flags flapping in the background.

• The letter's demands include pipeline deregulation, expediting drilling permits, rolling back various EPA initiatives and expanding mineral mining, among other requests.

Yes, but: The governors speaking Monday also pointed to EPA initiatives as drivers behind America's reduced carbon footprint in comparison to other energy producers.

• "We're not about destroying the environment," said Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. "If you don't do it in America, then you do overseas. There's no EPA overseas. There's no Army Corps overseas, so when we lose jobs, we lose opportunity here in America."
• Asked about climate change as scientists point to its impacts on a hurricane season forecast to have stronger, more frequent storms, Landry batted away the question.
• "What are they doing in China to improve their environmental footprint? What are they doing? Are they getting a carbon score?" he said.

Between the lines: One of the letter's demands is a removal of the pause on liquefied natural gas exports.

• The New York Times reported in January that the Biden administration was pausing any approval of Lake Charles' Calcasieu Pass 2, what was to be the world's largest LNG producer.
• But the U.S. also became the world's top liquified natural gas exporter in 2023, and the pause has become a hot political button.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the letter was generated by the policy arm of the Republican Governors Association (not by the full association).