Here are two truths: Louisiana is an unapologetically pro-energy state, and President Donald Trump isn’t easily fooled. Taken together, those facts underscore the desperate absurdity of accusations that Louisiana’s efforts to hold energy giant Chevron accountable for its decadeslong pollution of our state’s coastal wetlands are somehow inconsistent with the president’s energy independence agenda. 

For more than a century, our people have supported exploration, production, and refining oil and gas. As Louisiana’s solicitor general and now attorney general, I’ve led the nation in fighting the Biden administration’s wrong-headed approach to energy policy. 

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Louisiana successfully blocked the moratorium on oil and gas leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf, opening the door for the only lease sale conducted during those four misspent years. We blocked attacks on pipelines, overzealous permitting rules, a ban on liquefied natural gas exports, the methane rule, and many other Biden administration efforts to destroy America’s energy independence and bankrupt the oil and gas industry. This is what makes the recent disingenuous attacks by Chevron consultants, such as former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr, so unbelievable. 

In welcoming oil and gas companies to our state, we ask for compliance with our laws and regulations and good-faith efforts to maintain our environment. Agriculture, fishing, tourism, and other industries depend on healthy wetlands, and coastal communities rely on a strong, storm-resistant coastline. Chevron, however, has been trying to avoid accountability for the damage it has caused to our coastal wetlands.

The company is taking a new tack of hoodwinking Trump into defending its illegal actions by presenting our legal action as the latest creative legal theory intended to attack the fossil fuel industry, rather than what it is: a run-of-the-mill pollution case requiring accountability. 

Chevron’s strategy is flawed for two reasons: its conduct is indefensible, which is why it refuses to talk about facts, and these lawsuits complement rather than conflict with Trump’s energy policy goals. 

Between the 1940s and 1980s, Texaco, eventually purchased by Chevron in 2001, engaged in exploration and production activities and discharged approximately 4 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the marsh in Delacroix. For reference, that amount exceeds 20 times the volume of oil discharged by the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout, in an area much, much smaller. This was an illegal discharge under the then-applicable rules and regulations. 

Texaco’s internal documents show the company knew there were safer alternatives, including the industry-standard disposable wells it was using nearby. The dumping continued until the late 1980s while Texaco lied to regulatory authorities about its activities, including dates of discharge, volumes, and lab data.

Texaco flatly ignored the permitting regime established under Louisiana’s State and Local Coastal Resources Management Act of 1978, and it proved its liability by discharging wastewater after the act’s Sept. 20, 1980, effective date. In short, dumping 4 billion gallons of toxic waste for four decades into our marsh was irresponsible and illegal.

Perhaps the most insidious aspect of Chevron’s defense is its communications strategy that seeks to tie Louisiana’s efforts with the radical climate industry, which is determined to extort the fossil fuel industry using any and all means. Yet this case is not a frivolous “nuisance” suit vaguely asserting climate change as damage — the kind common in Democratic states and localities. This case involves concrete damage caused by concrete actions resulting in the senseless poisoning of vital habitat that protects Louisiana communities. 

The Plaquemines Parish jury’s award of $645 million reflects thoughtful deliberation, not “hometown” justice. The jury verdict did not hold Chevron accountable for damage it did not cause; Louisianans understand how much erosion is caused by hydrology changes or hurricanes. However, dumping 4 billion gallons of toxic waste over four decades has an effect. Lying about it has a different effect, eroding the trust between communities and companies and in the rule of law. 

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Chevron lost my sympathy when the facts disproved its case. It lied about Texaco’s conduct being lawful, the duration of its unlawful activity, and the breadth of its unlawful activity. Quite simply, Chevron chose profits over people and the law, and it continues to do so every day it refuses accountability for its actions. This is not controversial. 

I will continue to champion Trump’s energy policies. I will also continue to honor my obligation to uphold the rule of law. Chevron should step up, accept the responsibility it legally owes to Louisiana, and join us in moving the president’s and Louisiana’s energy agenda forward. They have always been welcome at our table.

Liz Murrill is the 46th Attorney General of Louisiana.