Gov. Landry’s Amendments to Senate Bill are Bad for Business – and Bad for Louisiana

Baton Rouge, LA – LLAW has serious concerns regarding last-minute amendments that were added to a bill to reorganize Louisiana’s Department of Energy & Natural Resources in House committee earlier this week.

In a powerful show of support, Gov. Landry skipped another event to testify in favor of these personally-drafted amendments that would retroactively and prospectively prohibit indemnification in oil and gas transactions. In a state long-known for its litigious business climate, this move can only reinforce uncertainty and instability in our business climate.

“Louisiana’s long-running coastal and legacy lawsuits have cemented our annual ranking among the nation’s worst Judicial Hellholes®, targeting the state’s job-creating energy industry for decades. These proposed changes would only lead to more lawsuits and further undercut the stability of Louisiana’s fragile business climate” said Lana Venable, Executive Director of Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch.

The retroactive nature of these proposals is especially concerning. If enacted, long-standing contracts would be significantly impacted and companies would be opened up to new liabilities for actions that occurred years – or even decades – ago.

We encourage House members to reject the bill in its current form when it is debated on June 8.