EDITORIAL: EPA's action changes the game for La.
The Town Talk (excerpt)

Louisiana's future was decided last week when federal regulators declared greenhouse gases are a threat to public health. The projected impact of the decision, directly and through Congress, will be far-reaching. It speaks to just how important the energy business is to the Bayou State.

The declaration about these gases, made Friday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, signals the implementation of regulatory control that will force dramatic changes in the generation, transmission and consumption of energy across all industry sectors. By extension, it will affect all American households.

Think for a moment about your individual energy consumption. That only begins to explain the reach of the EPA's decision into your life and livelihood. The implications for Louisiana's economy are daunting. This state, after all, is all about petroleum, electricity and transportation -- industries that churn and burn the energy the world wants.

The state is a tremendous producer of energy, ranking fourth in crude oil production, for example, behind Texas, Alaska and California. Louisiana also is the nation's second-largest refiner of petroleum.

Louisiana's energy consumption soars similarly.