Members of Southwest Louisiana’s energy workforce and industry advocates celebrated $90 billion in announced investments in Cameron, Calcasieu, Jeff Davis and Vermillion parishes last week.

The Grow Louisiana Coalition hosted the event, and a spokesperson described the energy investment as “transformational.”

“The influx of opportunities we see in Southwest Louisiana today will define America’s energy landscape for the next century,” said Marc Ehrhardt, executive director of the Grow Louisiana Coalition, an energy advocacy organization with more than 110,000 members. “Energy is expanding here because our workforce and industry have the experience and skills to deliver cleaner, dependable products that America and the world demand. No where else on Earth is better poised for success than Southwest Louisiana, and that’s what we are celebrating tonight.”

Jim Rock, executive director of the Lake Area Industry Alliance, explained why energy investments are happening here.

“It’s the existing infrastructure,” he said, “Infrastructure that supports current and future energy production needs. It includes our deep water shipping channel, pipelines and access to rail and interstate highways.”

Rock also noted workforce training facilities such as Sowela, McNeese State University and ABC Training Center.

In addition to the current energy-related operations, including transmission pipelines, refineries and LNG support facilities, there are numerous projects in the planning stages, additional LNG export facilities, wind and solar energy projects and alternative fuel production such as ammonia and hydrogen.

“There is significant buy-in for the alternative energy projects and the opportunity to add them in diversifying our industrial base, “ Rock said.

Rock would not speculate on how federal administration changes might impact schedules.

“Every project has a unique schedule on procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up once all permits are obtained,” he said.

On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., sent a statement to the press applauding President Donald Trump’s reported plan to lift the Biden-Harris administration’s LNG permitting freeze.

In June, Lake Charles Judge James D. Cain of the U.S. District Court for the Western District reversed the Department of Energy’s freeze on new liquified natural gas export approvals.