Mark Hertsgaard: Weaning Louisiana Off its Oil Addiction

Mark Hertsgaard: Weaning Louisiana Off its Oil Addiction

Mark Hertsgaard: Weaning Louisiana Off its Oil Addiction

On The Nation on Grit TV, Mark Hertsgaard argues that oil to Louisiana is like heroin to an addict. It’s high time we started the weaning process.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Even Louisiana’s greenest are against a moratorium on offshore drilling. This may seem absurd considering the seemingly irreversible devastation that BP’s carelessness has inflicted on the state’s environment and economy, but The Nation‘s Environmental Correspondent Mark Hertsgaard claims that oil to Louisiana is like heroin to an addict. It would be catastrophic to go cold-turkey but it’s high time we started the weaning process.

Well, what is Louisiana’s—and our nation’s—methadone? Media Consortium Environmental Blogger, Sarah Laskow joins Hertsgaard to discuss Louisiana’s green energy potential and whether or not we can hope for any progress on energy policy on the Hill.

The Nation on GRIT TV is a weekly video collaboration between The Nation and GRIT TV with Laura Flanders. Watch for Monday briefings, Wednesday commentaries, weekend conversations and more at TheNation.com. For full half-hour episodes of The Nation on GRIT TV, or local television air times visit www.grittv.org.

An urgent message from the Editors

As the editors of The Nation, it’s not usually our role to fundraise. Today, however, we’re putting out a special appeal to our readers, because there are only hours left in 2025 and we’re still $20,000 away from our goal of $75,000. We need you to help close this gap. 

Your gift to The Nation directly supports the rigorous, confrontational, and truly independent journalism that our country desperately needs in these dark times.

2025 was a terrible year for press freedom in the United States. Trump launched personal attack after personal attack against journalists, newspapers, and broadcasters across the country, including multiple billion-dollar lawsuits. The White House even created a government website to name and shame outlets that report on the administration with anti-Trump bias—an exercise in pure intimidation.

The Nation will never give in to these threats and will never be silenced. In fact, we’re ramping up for a year of even more urgent and powerful dissent. 

With the 2026 elections on the horizon, and knowing Trump’s history of false claims of fraud when he loses, we’re going to be working overtime with writers like Elie Mystal, John Nichols, Joan Walsh, Jeet Heer, Kali Holloway, Katha Pollitt, and Chris Lehmann to cut through the right’s spin, lies, and cover-ups as the year develops.

If you donate before midnight, your gift will be matched dollar for dollar by a generous donor. We hope you’ll make our work possible with a donation. Please, don’t wait any longer.

In solidarity,

The Nation Editors

Ad Policy
x