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Economic Benefits, Quality of Life, LNG, and Carbon Capture
by Christine Fisher
Local industries continue to experience tremendous growth as they produce ingredients for products used in everyday activities. As the umbrella organization designed to communicate between member industries and the community and government entities, Lake Area Industry Alliance (LAIA) provides education on issues affecting business, industry, and trade.
“We provide factual information to the community regarding industrial operations that could affect residents, and we work with local education leaders from elementary school to university, community college and trade school levels to enhance the education systems to meet the present and future needs of the industrial community,” explains Jim Rock, executive director of LAIA.
LAIA is multi-faceted with the overall goal of bringing industry together to enhance Southwest Louisiana. There are 25 local industry members in LAIA. “Through regular meetings and communication, we address issues and challenges that facilities are facing, and work together to solve them,” he says. “We also share best practices on subjects like preparation for extreme weather events and in recent years, dealing with the pandemic and supply chain issues. We collaborate with local community, government, and charitable organization leaders to see how we can work together to enhance our part of the state.”
Rock shares 2023 statistics of the impact of LAIA-member industries in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes:
• Over $1.2 billion in payroll and benefits
• Over 8,000 in direct employees
• $234 million in property and sales taxes
Among LAIA-member LNG industries in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes, the numbers for 2023 include:
• $34.5 billion in existing LNG facility investment
• Over 800 direct employees
• $45.8 million in property tax
The rapid growth in demand for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, has propelled our region into the position of being the number one exporter in the world. “It’s a stunning milestone for a nation that recently was a net importer of natural gas,” Rock says. “As nations transition away from coal and other energy sources to generate electricity and heat homes, Southwest Louisiana is poised to continue to be the leader in providing LNG as a cleaner alternative for energy.”
LAIA also works with existing and potential future members on achieving climate change initiatives. Subjects like carbon capture and sequestration are being studied and evaluated for applications in SWLA given our ideal geology and industrial pipeline infrastructure.
The planned LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese will be another educational tool to not only prepare graduates to be successful in the energy industry and provide a pipeline of talent, but also provide continuing education opportunities for the existing workforce.
Volunteers from local industries contribute to countless organizations with over 25,000 hours per year dedicated to local non-profits, Partners in Education with Calcasieu and Cameron Parish School Districts, Chem Expo, Educators’ Institute, Trash Bash, and others.
“Industries have been in Southwest Louisiana since the 1940’s and are a considerable driving force for our economy and quality of life,” Rock says. “These industries provide careers with a consistent high level of employment, economic stability, and educational enhancements.”
