In a move that complicates Louisiana’s transition toward renewable energy, a bill passed by the Louisiana Legislature last week redefines natural gas, a fossil fuel, as “green energy” and instructs state utilities to use energy generated by hydrocarbons. Gas is a significant driver of climate change—methane, the primary component in natural gas, is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. It appears to have grown out of a national campaign to redefine gas as “clean,” “green” or “renewable” energy, which has been backed by dark money groups with ties to the gas industry. Since 2023, other states have passed laws similar to Louisiana’s bill, in an apparent backlash against state and local governments’ renewable energy initiatives. So the utility is attempting to fast-track the buildout of three new gas power plants—two in Richland Parish and one in St. Charles Parish.