Parish presidents discuss bringing in jobs, offshore leasing ban and more during business luncheon

Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson and Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove headlined the panel for the South Central Industrial Association general membership luncheon on Tuesday. 

The two discussed bringing jobs to the area, the changing energy landscape, oil and gas policies coming from the White House and more. 

For Chaisson, who took office in January of last year, the main priorities for his first term include tax reform and economic development, and he believes the two go hand in hand. 

“We’ll be rolling out a tax reform package to the voters in the next few weeks so that we can take to them in the spring of 2022 a reformed local tax structure, which will help not only businesses by lowering your tax burden on your property but your sales tax that you have to pass onto to your consumer,” he said to the crowd of local business leaders at Cypress Columns in Gray.

He went on to add that the tax reform will also help the 39,000 homeowners in Lafourche Parish by taking down their property taxes. 

The parish president also highlighted other reasons business should come to the area, such as Port Fourchon, the expanding healthcare network, a significant amount of recreation programs, Lafourche’s top-ranked school district and the two local colleges: Nicholls State University and Fletcher Technical Community College.

“Not only can your employees come here and live here, but we can educate them,” he said. “We can keep them going with continuing education, and we can let your family grow up here in a positive environment. “

Now in his second term, Dove touted the strides made in the Morganza-to-the-Gulf levee system and pump stations for increased hurricane protection, Terrebonne Parish’s low millage and utility rates and the Bayou Country Sports Park, the state-of-the-art complex that features multiple ball fields, a splash pad and beach area, among other attractions.

“If we are going to get industry down here, we need quality of life,” he said. “Having so much done between hurricane protection and drainage, we can move on to quality of life.”

Both officials also expressed pro-oilfield sentiments regarding the coastal lawsuits, arguing that it could persuade companies not to operate in Louisiana. According to Dove, various oil companies own 65 percent of the parish’s topography. 

“They are a corporate citizen. We treat them like a corporate citizen,” he said. “And we try to protect them as much as we can in the courts.”

To two also addressed an audience question regarding the ongoing moratorium on lease sales on public lands and waters by the President Joe Biden administration and how it impacts the future of the oil and gas industry. 

“What we’ve told them all along is you’re not hurting the majors…Those guys are going to figure out how to diversify. That’s what they do,” Chaisson said.

He argued that the smaller businesses, like service companies and restaurants, and such community members as surveyors, boat crews and others working as wells are set up will be affected the most by the lease ban. 

Chaisson and Dove also expressed that petroleum is needed, despite the push for the world to move towards renewables and electric vehicles.  

“You can’t run stuff on seed oil. They’ve got to have oil and gas. You can’t run the airline on electric power — you gotta have jet fuel,” Dove said. 

“I don’t think climate change is something that’s phony. I think it’s something that we have to deal with. But deviating directly away from petroleum products is not the answer,” Chaisson said. “…I’m all about trying to diversify as we move forward, knowing that oil and gas and Port Fourchon are still going to be what fuels this nation for years to come.”