Why Meta and Amazon Are Betting Billions on Louisiana

Why Meta and Amazon Are Betting Billions on Louisiana

Meta. Amazon. Billions in data center investment. And the #1 factor they all named for picking Louisiana? Access to energy. Dr. Greg Upton runs the brand-new LSU Energy Institute (formerly the LSU Center for Energy Studies) — and there is no one more locked into Louisiana's energy economy, past, present, and future. In this conversation, Greg breaks down:  — Why LSU rebuilt the Center for Energy Studies into the Energy Institute  — Why almost every job in Louisiana — even the ones that look nothing like "energy"  — depends on this industry — The real reason Meta, Amazon, and other tech giants are choosing Louisiana for data centers  — Why energy companies don't think "clean vs. dirty"  — they think "molecules vs. electrons" — How Iran and the Russian invasion of Ukraine moved oil prices over $140 a barrel  — and why the economy bounced back faster than anyone expected  — The energy myth 70-80% of people get wrong (and what it means for Louisiana's future) Subscribe to the Louisiana Business and Industry Show: [https://www.youtube.com/@LouisianaBusinessandIndustrySh/videos

How Out-of-State Money Ends Up on Your Neighbor's Yard Sign

That anti-industry yard sign down the street didn't start in your parish. According to this week's guest, you can trace the money behind it all the way out of Louisiana. Desiree Lemoine spent 11 years at the Louisiana Chemical Association before helping launch Industry Makes, an organization built to give Louisiana's manufacturing workers and the small businesses that depend on them a voice at the local level. Hosts Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson sit down with her to trace how out-of-state money ends up funding local activists, why the gas station on your corner depends on the plant down the road, and the roughly $935,000 one parish spent just defending its right to bring in new investment. ▶ SUBSCRIBE to the Louisiana Business and Industry Show for new conversations with the people shaping Louisiana's economy: https://www.youtube.com/@LouisianaBusinessandIndustrySh

Outsiders keep flying in to kill Louisiana's $100K jobs

Industry pays 70% of St. John the Baptist Parish's budget: the schools, the roads, the police force. So why are people from outside the parish spending real money to shut it down? Jaclyn Hotard, President of St. John the Baptist Parish, has spent 35+ years around Louisiana industry and has been dragged through both federal and local court for defending it. She isn't backing down. In this conversation, she breaks down how a St. John student can walk out of high school, do one year at River Parishes Community College, and earn $100,000 a year and why she says paid special interests fight to kill the very projects that make those jobs possible. Her line: responsible growth and responsible industry aren't a choice between two things. They're the same thing. ► Subscribe for a new Louisiana business leader every week: https://www.youtube.com/ ⁨@LouisianaBusinessandIndustrySh⁩  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCQOf5N9QnM6ud0J-ISJrYjw]

They've Been Lying About Cancer Alley for 40 Years. Here's the Proof.

Ascension Parish, the most heavily industrialized parish in Louisiana, just ranked #1 healthiest in the entire state. So why has the Cancer Alley narrative dominated Louisiana for 40 years? David Cresson, President of the Louisiana Chemistry Association, sits down with Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson to set the record straight with data from the CDC, the National Cancer Institute, and the Robert Wood Johnson County Health Rankings.  In this episode: → Why does the data not support the Cancer Alley narrative → What louisianahealthfacts.com actually shows → Carbon capture, what it is, what it looks like, and why Louisiana is falling behind Texas → Why David Cresson left 18 years at CCA to lead the Louisiana Chemistry Association → How LCA is building local community relationships across every parish in the state Subscribe so you never miss a Louisiana business conversation that actually matters. CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Introduction 1:30 - Who is David Cresson? 5:00 - Leading the Louisiana Chemistry Association 9:00 - The rebrand and new office 13:00 - Carbon capture explained 18:00 - Local community engagement strategy 22:00 - Cancer Alley — what the data actually says 27:00 - louisianahealthfacts.com breakdown

300,000 Louisiana Families Depend on This Industry. This Man Defends It Every Day.

300,000 Louisiana families go to work every day because of the oil and gas industry. Tommy Faucheux is the man making sure that doesn't change. Tommy is the President of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association (LaMoga), the organization representing every major energy company operating in Louisiana, from Chevron and Shell to Valero, Phillips 66, and the LNG exporters powering Europe's energy supply. In this episode, Tommy breaks down why Louisiana's energy industry doesn't just matter to Louisiana; it matters to the entire country and the world. In this episode: * Why 300,000 Louisiana jobs depend on the oil and gas industry surviving * How Louisiana LNG exports kept Europe from collapsing during the Russia-Ukraine war * What CCUS really means for rural Louisiana communities * The outside groups are trying to shut down the Louisiana industry, and they've never even been here * What's happening right now at the Louisiana legislature that every business owner needs to know Listen every week on the Louisiana Business and Industry Show hosted by Gordy Rush and Tim Johnson.