In a small-town school gymnasium, where a few dozen elderly residents had gathered for a Save My Louisiana meeting, an easel displayed a map of Lake Maurepas. The map purported to show equipment associated with a proposed project in the area, though the illustrations were deceptively and dramatically out of scale. In the bottom-right corner of the map appeared a single word: Earthjustice.
That simple map revealed two significant things about Save My Louisiana. First, the group appears willing to rely on exaggerated, deceptive, and false imagery to advance its anti-CCS arguments. But the second revelation is much darker and more telling. It exposed the organization’s connection to a much broader network of activist groups opposed not just to carbon capture and storage, but to the oil and gas industry itself.
Earthjustice, the group that produced the map, is not Save My Louisiana. It is a different group, a national environmental law organization that has become deeply involved in anti-CCS activism across Louisiana. And it is one of several activist organizations MAGA Energy Project has previously identified as operating alongside or in support of Save My Louisiana’s anti-CCS campaign.
What may not be immediately apparent, however, is where Earthjustice itself fits into the larger picture.
Earthjustice works alongside a variety of environmental organizations across the country, including Beyond Petrochemicals, a campaign launched by Michael Bloomberg. In 2022, Bloomberg committed $85 million to establish Beyond Petrochemicals as part of a broader environmental effort following similar initiatives like Beyond Coal and Beyond Carbon.
In the news release announcing the campaign’s formation, Beyond Petrochemicals stated: “Building on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Beyond Coal and Beyond Carbon, Beyond Petrochemicals will partner with frontline communities to block the construction of 120+ planned new petrochemical projects.”
The release also stated: “Beyond Petrochemicals will scale the work being done by frontline groups and aligned organizations who are leading the fight to end petrochemical pollution…”
Among the listed partners and aligned organizations were Earthjustice, Earthworks, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and Rise St. James, which are all organizations that MAGA Energy Project has previously identified as connected in various ways to the broader anti-CCS movement operating in Louisiana alongside Save My Louisiana.
Abbie Dillen, President of Earthjustice, said of the partnership: “In this enormous fight for the future, Earthjustice is honored to be working with an incredible group of leaders, including Bloomberg Philanthropies. This is the kind of transformative investment that we need to win.”
Earthjustice’s website is full of examples of how they are fighting President Trump and attempting to dismantle the oil and gas industry. From an “Action Alert” to call for an end to Trump’s offshore drilling plan to their stated goal of completely ending the use of fossil fuels, Earthjustice is the Louisiana oil and gas industry’s worst enemy.
Taken together, these connections reveal a great deal about the anti-CCS network.
- Beyond Petrochemicals openly states that its mission is to stop new petrochemical development.
- Earthjustice operates as one of the legal and advocacy organizations aligned with that effort.
- Save My Louisiana has adopted messaging and materials produced by Earthjustice in its campaign against CCS projects in Louisiana.
Regardless of how Save My Louisiana describes itself politically, the group is operating alongside organizations that are openly hostile to the oil and gas industry, while simultaneously attempting to present itself as a grassroots safety movement.
Save My Louisiana doesn’t want you to think their efforts are tied to the elimination of refinery jobs or other industrial jobs across South Louisiana. But now you know better.
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