Editor’s Note: a guest post by Samuel Bergeron.

When it comes to Louisiana’s energy economy, nobody knows how to keep it strong better than Louisiana. Leaders across our state have invested their careers in keeping Louisiana a national energy leader, and it is time to give them the oversight they deserve. If we want to take charge of our energy future, we need to have the ability to control how we do business. That is why we must support Louisiana gaining primacy over Class VI wells. It will allow our state to build its own energy future.

Primacy has been a focus of the state’s Department of Natural Resources for years. Not only will this decision open the door to controlling our own energy future, but it will also allow important investment in new technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS) that will allow our state to continue being the country’s energy leader. Louisiana is the ideal state for such investment, as we have the labor force ready to meet the needs of expanding our energy resources.

New CCS projects will lead to thousands of jobs across the state and could lead to as much as $13.7 billion in private investment to support construction and associated infrastructure improvements needed to facilitate the expansion. The time for action on this issue is now, as the federal government has announced billions of additional public investments in CCS. Granting Louisiana primacy will allow our state to secure a sizable portion of this funding.

This investment will not be wasted here. Our state employees are the best and brightest across the energy industry. Our state universities study and report on the future of energy and produce the best-qualified graduates to enter the energy workforce and meet the needs of the growing energy economy. For over 100 years, Louisiana has been the place where new technologies have been discovered and tested. From the first over-the-water oil well in Caddo Lake to the first long-distance oil pipeline, we have always been a leader in energy expansion. Primacy will allow us to continue to be leaders into the future.

The Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana Senate took bold action recently to show their support for primacy by passing resolutions by overwhelming margins enshrining their support before their session ended. Though this is an important step in the path to primacy, there is more that needs to be done. The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public hearing in Baton Rouge beginning on June 20th to consider granting primacy. It is vital that the public shares their view on why primacy matters for Louisiana.

It is time for Louisiana to take control of our energy future. We have a workforce that is ready to meet the needs of energy expansion. We have the experts that are ready to ensure expansion is done right. We have the investment to unlock our energy future. Now all we need is primacy to achieve our next chapter of energy goals.