BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday halted new applications for carbon capture projects in the state, prompting backlash from industry leaders who have already invested billions of dollars in projects that target climate change.

Landry imposed the moratorium saying he wants the state to provide a "clear road map" for projects designed to sequester greenhouse gases. Emissions are considered a prime source of global warming, and scientists say that storing carbon below ground could address the problem.

The Louisiana Chemical Association says its members have already spent $60 billion on projects and that stopping work at this point is counter-intuitive. The Environmental Protection Agency last year allowed the state to approve or disapprove carbon capture projects within its border.

"A pause on applications, regardless of the reasoning, signals uncertainty for projects that enable lower-emissions production, support thousands of high-wage jobs and encourage future reinvestment," LCA President David Cresson said.

Likewise, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry said Landry's move threatened to harm Louisiana's position at the forefront of carbon capture technology.

"Louisiana's energy sector is the envy of the nation and the world," LABI President Will Green said. "Today’s executive order on carbon capture and sequestration sends the wrong message. The order risks ceding Louisiana’s competitive advantage to neighboring states eager to move forward with CCS investments."