New Louisiana Attorney General Brings O&G Background to Job

Louisiana voters in late November elected a new attorney general with a background in the oil and gas industry. Jeff Landry, who won the election against James Caldwell with 56% of the vote, co-founded an oil and gas environmental services company early in his career.

Voters on Nov. 21 also elected John Bel Edwards as the new governor of Louisiana.

Jeff Landry

Landry is the former U.S. Representative for Louisiana’s 3rd congressional district.

According to the Jeff Landry for Attorney General website, Landry led a Drilling=Jobs effort during a Joint Session of Congress, spreading a message in support of President Barack Obama issuing permits for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. While in Congress, Landry also led on national energy policy, emphasizing a need for increased domestic oil and gas production.

Louisiana Oil and Gas Association President Don Briggs in a Nov. 23 statement congratulated Landry, saying he has a long-standing relationship with the oil and gas industry.

“We stand ready to continue working with him on issues related to our industry,” Briggs said. “Outside of the statewide issues, the oil and gas industry is experiencing record low rig counts, unprofitable natural resource prices and widespread layoffs. It will be vital that each and every newly elected official understands the importance of helping to create a business friendly environment for our industry and the entire business community.”

John Bel Edwards

At the time of the election, Edwards was serving as the State Representative for District 72 in Louisiana’s North Shore region. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

According to the John Bel Edwards for Governor website, he graduated from Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center after eight years of active duty with the U.S. Army as an Airborne Ranger, culminating with command of a rifle company in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.