Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy engaged in a discussion with Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The conversation focused on enhancing national security by leveraging American energy resources, holding foreign entities accountable, and revitalizing prosperity for American workers.

Senator Cassidy expressed concerns about outsourcing carbon emissions and jobs to countries like China, which he claims do not enforce environmental regulations. "As we offshore [carbon emissions], we offshore the jobs," said Dr. Cassidy. He emphasized the need for sophistication in addressing these issues.

Chris Wright acknowledged alignment with both Senator Cassidy and President-elect Trump on energy-related matters. "Thank you for the great dialogue we had about all these issues—about energy, about bettering lives, about trade practices, about prosperity for Americans," said Wright.

The Foreign Pollution Fee Act was a central topic at Cassidy's Louisiana Energy Security Summit. This summit addressed unfair trade practices and explored Louisiana's low-emission manufacturing advantage. Panelists included industry leaders from Entergy, First Solar, Buzzi UnicemUSA, Orsted, Aluminum Technologies, and others.

Cassidy has been vocal in various media outlets regarding China's impact on U.S. economic development and national security through editorials and interviews discussing his Foreign Pollution Fee Act.

In 2023, Louisiana's legislative bodies urged Congress to develop policies countering Chinese competition. Previously in 2022, Cassidy outlined an energy policy opposing domestic carbon taxes while promoting domestic energy production.