The Billionaire Climate Network Targeting Louisiana Industry

Louisiana’s economy has long depended on energy production, petrochemical manufacturing, and heavy industry. These sectors support tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions in tax revenue that fund schools, infrastructure, and local services.

But a well-funded national climate activism network led by billionaire Michael Bloomberg is increasingly targeting those industries.

Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, the former New York mayor has committed more than $1 billion to climate initiatives designed to shut down fossil fuel infrastructure and stop new industrial development.

Bloomberg’s strategy has already proven effective. His “Beyond Coal” campaign helped close more than 300 coal-fired power plants nationwide through coordinated legal challenges, lobbying, and grassroots organizing.

Now the same model is being used against petrochemical manufacturing.

In 2023, Bloomberg launched the “Beyond Petrochemicals” campaign with an $85 million commitment aimed at blocking the construction of more than 120 petrochemical facilities across the country.

Many of those facilities are located in Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states.

The campaign works through a layered network. Bloomberg funding flows to national environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, which has received more than $120 million from Bloomberg’s foundation.

From there, national organizations partner with local activist groups that organize opposition to specific projects.

In Louisiana, campaigns against industrial development have been amplified by groups such as Save My Louisiana and organizations involved in the LA CO₂ Alliance debate over carbon capture projects. These groups frequently work alongside national environmental organizations that provide messaging, legal support, and organizing resources.

Bloomberg’s funding has helped professionalize local activism, providing sophisticated digital campaigns, advertising, and legal strategies that can challenge industrial permits and delay projects.

For Louisiana residents, the result is that decisions about local economic development are increasingly influenced by national activist networks funded by wealthy donors far outside the state.

The question many Louisianans are asking is simple: should the future of Louisiana’s energy economy be decided by the people who live and work here, or by billionaires and activist organizations based in New York and Washington?