Louisiana Oil and Gas Industry is Still Recovering from Hurricane Ida

September 16, 2021

In Louisiana, gasoline prices continue to rise as the state recovers from Hurricane Ida. The increased gas prices go beyond the storm though. Oil and gas companies who were recovering from the pandemic have continued to take hit after hit under the Biden administration since January.

Unfortunately, this is negatively affecting American citizens at the pump, and it’s a trend that has been going on long before Ida. For months, gas prices have been rising due to supply not being able to meet the demand of consumers. This isn’t only affecting Louisiana; it is affecting the whole country. Louisiana’s oil and gas industry produces a large amount of the energy used in the rest of the U.S.

As WGNO reports:

“The Gulf of Mexico makes up a large portion of America’s oil and gas activities and the longer that the Louisiana coast takes to recover from Hurricane Ida the more gas prices will rise and rise and rise,” said Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) spokesperson Stephen Lewerenz.

According to LOGA, many of the off-shore platforms were not damaged by Ida, but the industry is still reeling from the pandemic.

“With Port Fourchon and Grand Isle still operating at limited capacity, getting the platforms re-staffed has been a challenge,” said Lewerenz.

Three weeks after Ida’s landfall, a number of refineries in the state are still without power and according to experts, it’s creating issues for oil and gas activity like trying to get gas from the platforms in the drilling areas to the gas stations.

Any disruption to the oil and gas industry is going to have an immense ripple effect. Especially in Gulf Coast states where they have been unfairly burdened by Biden’s executive order to stop new oil and gas leases on federal lands since January. Just recently at the end of August these leases, thanks to a court order, were announced to resume with a Gulf of Mexico auction that could happen as soon as October.

This administration has made it difficult for the oil and gas industry to prosper and carry on business as usual. Now, after Hurricane Ida, the Louisiana oil and gas industry is fighting to get energy to American citizens at an affordable price. Lewerenz said as of now there is no time frame on recovery helping to drive gas prices down. Luckily, the resilient American energy workers are working hard to provide reliable and affordable energy to every American citizen, an initiative this administration has failed to prioritize.