Governor Landry not actually Governor yet

John Bel Edwards said today that he would like to see all coastal parishes join a lawsuit against oil and gas companies but, even if they don't, the state plans to go ahead either way.  That doesn't sit well with Fake Governor Landry.

The governor said he thinks the oil and gas industry should pay for a portion of that master plan bill, given their role in coastal erosion. It is part of the motivation for having the state intervene in the existing parish lawsuits. If the state is not party to the legal action, then none of the damages that might be recovered could fund its restoration efforts.

Edwards has been promising to intervene in the coastal lawsuits since he launched his campaign to become governor in 2014. But he's hit a significant roadblock in opposition from the attorney general.

Landry -- who has strong ties to the oil and gas companies and has taken significant donations from that industry for political campaigns -- has blocked Edwards' choice of lawyers for the coastal lawsuits for now.

In a letter last week, Landry said the compensation that the private lawyers may get if the lawsuits are won -- millions of dollars -- could be illegal. He also said some of the attorneys Edwards wants to hire have a conflict of interest, because they are also involved in the parishes' litigation.

In his interview with the media, Edwards said the contract his team had extended was legal and not exorbitant. Though the attorneys stand to make millions of dollars if the lawsuit is won, the hourly rate -- $225 per hour -- is below the maximum allowed of $500 per hour, the governor said.

"He doesn't understand the contract or he is purposefully misrepresenting it," Edwards said.

The Governor's people and the Fake Governor's people are supposed to meet and talk about this later this month. But the way that story is written, it looks like John Bel is going ahead with his plans and his lawyers. Good for him.

Meanwhile, though, it's hard to praise the Governor for more than five minutes these days before he goes and does something annoying. 

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, isn't convinced human activity is contributing to global warming, a stance that puts him at odds with President Barack Obama, most other national figures in his own political party and the mainstream science community.

Edwards said twice on Wednesday (Sept. 21) that he agreed the globe was getting warmer, but he isn't convinced the phenomenon is "man-made". The governor's comments where made during his monthly call-in radio show broadcast across Louisiana.

Overwhelmingly, climate researchers and weather experts believe humans are contributing to global warming. Some studies show climate change has made extreme weather events, such as massive floods and hurricanes, more likely.

This is a pretty strikingly craven position to take. But it's exactly the kind of incoherence you might expect to encounter from a governor who knows his lawsuit is going to piss off the oil companies and is trying to compensate somehow.