Likely vote over Louisiana project caught in abortion debate

BATON ROUGE (AP) — As the political tug-of-war over enforcing Louisiana’s near-total abortion ban continues between Republicans at the Capitol and Democratic leaders in the state’s most populous city, the state Bond Commission is likely to vote Thursday on whether or not to continue withholding financing approval for a vital New Orleans area power plant project.

For a commission generally known for its historically actuarial role, the abortion debate would typically be beyond its purview. Still, it has seeped into recent meetings — with Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry urging fellow members to “use the tools at our disposal to bring” leaders in New Orleans opposing enforcement of the abortion ban “to heel.” Caught in the crossfire is a $39 million future line of credit for a power plant, critical to power drainage pumps that remove rainwater in a city that faces chronic flood problems.

While some described the decision by the commission in July and August to withhold approval as overreach, Landry argued that a message needed to be sent to New Orleans officials he believes may be malfeasant in upholding the law.

The battle between Democratic city leaders and Republicans in reliably red states has been happening across the country since the U.S. Supreme Court decided to end constitutional protections for abortion in June. Dozens of prosecutors nationwide — including in Florida — have promised not to pursue charges against those seeking or providing abortions. In St. Louis, hours after the mayor signed a measure providing $1 million for travel to abortion clinics in other states the Missouri Attorney General sued to block it. City councils in places such as Austin, Texas, and Nashville have passed measures urging law enforcement not to prioritize abortion ban enforcement.