Whatever Happened to Lil’ Mary Landrieu?

Once known as Louisiana’s “moderate” voice in Washington, former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu now works far from the public spotlight — but her influence is alive and well in Baton Rouge and D.C., especially where carbon capture dollars are involved.

Today, she’s a registered federal lobbyist for Air Products, the company behind the massive carbon sequestration project threatening Lake Maurepas. Through her Washington firm, Van Ness Feldman, Landrieu was hired in 2023 to lobby for fast-track federal approval that would hand Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality — not the EPA — final authority over dangerous underground CO₂ wells. This seemingly bureaucratic shift has enormous consequences for Louisiana’s ecosystems, drinking water, and public oversight.

According to federal lobbying records, her firm was paid $180,000 in 2023 by Air Products to influence decisions at the Department of Energy and Congress directly tied to carbon capture policy and permitting. But what those dry numbers don’t show is just how deep her fingerprints are on the entire CCS playbook — from national climate policy to local political cover.

Landrieu was one of the earliest Democratic champions of “carbon capture” technologies, even while still in office. As energy committee chair, she helped shape early hydrogen tax credits and CCS incentives. After leaving office, she leveraged her connections in DOE and Congress to become a go-to broker between fossil fuel companies and Democratic policymakers. In Louisiana, her name opened doors that others couldn’t. In Washington, it gave Air Products a powerful voice in shaping policy narratives — especially around “clean hydrogen hubs,” which now funnel billions into CCS development across Gulf states.

What makes her role so impactful — and troubling — is that her influence operates in both directions: convincing federal agencies that Louisiana regulators can be trusted to oversee risky projects like the one beneath Lake Maurepas, and persuading Louisiana lawmakers that federal money and connections justify fast-tracking the industry with minimal local oversight.

Her work was critical in lobbying for Louisiana to be granted what’s called “Class VI primacy” the right to approve its own CO₂ injection wells. In effect, Landrieu helped build the very legal and political bridge that now bypasses public hearings, environmental review, and even parish-level authority.

And she’s not alone — our investigation uncovered a growing list of former lawmakers, political consultants, and connected insiders now working behind the scenes to push this project forward. Many have direct ties to both Governor Jeff Landry and former Governor John Bel Edwards.

While the cypress trees of Lake Maurepas struggle to survive a creeping tide of saltwater, while toxic findings remain unaddressed, and while local communities are shut out of the conversation — the dealmaking continues behind closed doors.

In Part 2 of our special exposé, The CO₂ Chronicles: Beneath the Bayou, a Fight for Lake Maurepas, we go deeper. We name names. We connect the dots between lobbyist paychecks and the favors they receive. You’ll learn which former Republican legislators are now on Air Products’ payroll, and how long-time political consultants are wielding their access to silence dissent and rewrite Louisiana’s environmental future.

This isn’t just about Lake Maurepas — it’s about how power really works in our state. And unless we shine a light, these backroom deals will continue to threaten the places we love and the voices we depend on.

Thanks for sticking with us this far. Independent journalism like the CO₂ Chronicles isn’t backed by lobbyists or corporate dollars, it’s powered by readers like you. For less than the cost of a pound of crawfish, you can help keep this investigation alive, protect our communities, and hold those in power accountable. Join us today.