Governor Jeff Landry: A Legacy of Control, Not Constitution

From the moment he took office, Governor Jeff Landry made his intentions crystal clear—he wasn’t here to govern with the people of Louisiana. He was here to rule over them.

His earliest acts weren’t gestures of unity, transparency, or service. They were calculated power plays to strip away local control, consolidate authority, and bypass the very systems designed to protect democracy.

And one by one, the guardrails fell.

🧷 Hidden Amendments & Legislative Sleight of Hand

Landry has turned the amendment process and legislative bills into a weapon.

Rather than legislate in the open, he’s stuffed major policy changes into vague, misleading amendments and bills, Trojan horses designed to pass unnoticed until it’s too late. Bills have ballooned from a few pages to over 200 overnight. Language has been rewritten in committee without public notice. Key phrases—like “eminent domain,” “oversight,” and “regulatory approval”—have quietly vanished from legislation before votes.

Several of his amendments he pushed on the people failed, not because lawmakers pushed back, but because the public caught on.

He’s learned a dangerous political trick:

“The fewer people who understand a bill, the faster it moves.”

This isn’t legislative reform.
 It’s systemic manipulation.

🔒 The Public Records Power Grab

In one of his most disturbing moves, Landry tried to gut Louisiana’s Public Records Law—the bedrock of government accountability.

Had he succeeded, everyday citizens would have lost access to vital information:

• Emails between officials and industry
  
  
• Permits granted without review
  
  
• Meeting minutes on pipeline approvals
  
  

Even conservatives in his own party rejected the bill, calling it an overreach.

Why would a governor try to shut down public access to government records?

Most of the information within the Department of Natural Resources is not available.

What’s to hide? Who are these deals being made with?

🧑‍⚖️ Tort Reform: A Handshake for Industry, A Slap to the People

Landry promised that tort reform would lower insurance premiums. It didn’t.

What it did do was protect insurance companies from being held accountable. His bill limited your ability to sue for damages, shielded corporations from legal consequences, and made it harder for average Louisianans to get justice in court.

It followed a pattern that’s become all too familiar:

• Use the people’s pain as a cover story
  
  
• Sneak in corporate immunity
  
  
• Call it “reform”
  
  
• Collect the campaign checks
  
  

🛢 A Climate Hoax… or a Corporate Hustle?

Let’s not forget: Jeff Landry once mocked climate science and called climate change a hoax.

He railed against the EPA. He opposed environmental regulations. He positioned himself as the anti-Green New Deal governor.

But when billions in federal tax credits became available through Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), his “principles” evaporated.

Now, Landry is fast-tracking CCS pipelines and injection wells across Louisiana—against the will of local governments and without public transparency.

He isn’t promoting CCS to fight climate change.
 He’s doing it because:

• CCS is backed by oil and gas corporations
  
  
• It qualifies for $85/ton in 45Q tax credits
  
  
• It gives industry the right to seize land via eminent domain
  
  
• And it puts millions into the hands of his donors
  
  

So which is it, Governor?
 Is climate change a hoax, or is your hoax the one you sold Louisiana?

🧍‍♂️ Lone Wolf Politics: Not a Team Player

Landry doesn’t work with others—he works over them.

Parish leaders, mayors, environmental scientists, and even legislative allies have been pushed aside or bullied into silence. If you don’t follow his agenda, you’re cut out of the conversation.

He refused to debate during his campaign.
 He surrounds himself with insiders and handlers.
 He never answers questions he didn’t script himself.

This isn’t a leader building consensus—it’s a strongman building a regime.

🛠 A Governor Built by Industry—Not the People

Let’s not forget: Jeff Landry was elected by just 17% of Louisiana’s population.

He doesn’t have a mandate. He has a margin.

But that hasn’t stopped him from pushing one of the most radical power grabs in state history:

• SB244 and agency restructuring
  
  
• Eminent domain for private pipelines
  
  
• Public record restrictions
  
  
• Industry-first “reforms”
  
  

Landry’s campaign was built by donors. His policies are written by lobbyists. And his loyalty lies not with the people, but with the corporations writing the checks.

⚖️ A Legacy of Control—Not Constitution

History will not remember Governor Landry as a courageous leader.
 It will remember him as the governor who:

• Hid laws in amendments
  
  
• Silenced watchdogs
  
  
• Protected corporations
  
  
• And tried to redefine Louisiana’s constitution in his own image
  
  

But there’s one thing he couldn’t control:

The people of Louisiana are awake now.

📝 Editor’s Note:
 Stay tuned for our full two-part exposé on Governor Jeff Landry, coming soon to CO₂ Chronicles. From hidden amendments and public records rollbacks to his sudden embrace of the CCS industry he once mocked—we’re connecting the dots between political power, corporate profit, and the erosion of Louisiana’s democracy.

Part 1: The Power Grab
 Part 2: The Industry Deals

Don’t miss it.