Something unusual is happening in the wetlands south of Pecan Island, and in the committee rooms of the Louisiana Legislature, and in the quiet corridors of the Landry administration. Hunting leases are being cancelled. ExxonMobil is shelving a major carbon capture project. A coordinated package of aerospace incentive bills materialized in the Louisiana Legislature within 48 hours of the March 31 filing deadline, carried by two of the most powerful committee chairmen in the H

here is a version of Louisiana's economic story that is always about what's next — the next LNG terminal, the next petrochemical plant, the next foreign manufacturer choosing a greenfield site along the Mississippi River corridor. That story is real and it matters. But this week in Arabi, St. Bernard Parish, a different kind of economic signal went into the ground: a groundbreaking that looked backward as much as it looked forward, and that may say more about Louisiana's unde

For decades, Louisiana has imposed one of the most economically damaging and outdated taxes in America: the inventory tax. At a time when states across the South are competing aggressively for manufacturing projects, logistics hubs, distribution centers, and industrial investment, Louisiana continues taxing businesses simply for holding inventory on shelves and in warehouses. Forty-one states do not impose this type of tax at all. That matters. The inventory tax punishes comp

Louisiana’s economic challenges are well known in the business community: slow population growth, inconsistent job creation, and difficulty attracting outside investment compared to neighboring Southern states. While recent tax reforms have improved the state’s standing, they have not yet addressed the core issue shaping long-term competitiveness—how Louisiana taxes income. For business leaders and site selectors, tax structure is not just a line item. It is a signal. It refl