FROM: Jim Harris

SPECIAL SESSION – ETHICS…There was hope that the current special session on ethics would end today. However, things got bogged down and lawmakers are now anticipating completing the session Tuesday or Wednesday. They have finally passed only seven bills as of this morning. A number of others are poised for final passage. The administration had introduced some 60 bills, but some of those were duplicates. The main bills in Gov. Jindal’s package deal with financial disclosure and conflicts of interest in doing business with the state for legislators and other public officials, and lobbyists limits, disclosure and reporting. That legislation is poised for final passage, with most of Gov. Jindal’s recommendations in tact.

Gov. Jindal has been meeting with groups of legislators for lunch at the governor’s mansion to pitch his legislation throughout the session. He has not appeared, except for one day at two committee hearings, to publicly support his package. Jindal’s Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Waguespack, Executive Counsel Jimmy Faircloth, and Legislative Liaison Tommy Williams have been taking heat from legislators during the session.

The many new legislators recently elected have certainly been baptized into the legislative process. The ethics package is very complex, and the potentials for unintended consequences for lawmakers, other elected officials, lobbyists and others are many. As a result, the legislative staff, the governor’s office, and lawmakers have been making substantive changes to the legislation as they work their way through the process. We’re not going to attempt to go into the current status of each bill at this point since they continue to change. We will provide you with a complete review of the legislation at the end of the session.

SECOND SPECIAL SESSION…Although Gov. Jindal hasn’t made it official, the latest word from his office indicates that he will call the second special session for March 9th. It is expected to last for about 10 days and wrap up before Good Friday, which is March 21st. As you will recall, this session will deal with the state surplus and targeted reductions in business taxes. Then, the 85-day regular session kicks off March 31st. When that one ends, legislators will have spent nearly five months in session.

JEFFERSON TRIAL STALLED…Second District Congressman William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, this week appealed a key ruling in his public corruption case, a move that will delay his trial -- possibly until the fall election season. Jury selection in Jefferson's bribery case was scheduled to begin Monday, but proceedings will be put on hold while the 4th U.S. Court of Appeals considers his constitutional challenge to 14 of the 16 charges against him. The delay has political implications because Jefferson faces re-election in November. He beat back a robust election challenge in 2006 despite revelations that the FBI found $90,000 in alleged bribe money in his freezer. His subsequent indictment in June 2007 and impending trial casts an even darker cloud over his political future. Jefferson has not said whether he is running for a 10th term.

CONG. BOUSTANY UNOPPOSED AT THIS TIME…No challengers have formally announced a run at U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-Lafayette, in his upcoming fall re-election bid for Louisiana’s 7th Congressional District, but several potential candidates say they’ve been approached. See enclosure.

GAYLORD RELOCATION…Gaylord Chemical Co. LLC officials this week announced it will relocate its operations from Bogalusa, Louisiana to Tuscaloosa, Ala. by late 2010. The move will affect approximately 30 employees. See enclosure.

RIVER PILOTS…The Louisiana River Pilots Association this week approved an agreed-upon surcharge the Crescent River Port Pilots Association says it needs to pay for Hurricane Katrina-related expenses. See enclosure.
Meanwhile, at a second specially called meeting, the Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission ruled that it does not have the authority to impose a fee for operations and will have to go to the legislature for funding. The decision follows months of debate. See enclosure.

LOUISIANA EXPORTS…Louisiana exports set a record in 2007, according to a report released by the World Trade Center of New Orleans. The state shipped overseas $30.4 billion worth of products last year, 30 percent more than the previous record year of 2006. The World Trade Center uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau to track Louisiana exports. The state's top exports were agricultural products, petroleum and coal, chemicals, processed foods, machinery and transportation equipment

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT…A McNeese State University report this week indicates public schools don’t teach the skills needed for work in southwest Louisiana. See enclosure.

Workforce development was the subject of a League of Women Voters of Baton Rouge forum this week. Funding, training, and incentives were said to be the key for the next workforce. See enclosure.

PPG PROJECT…PPG in Lake Charles recently announced a $10.8 million project to remediate and reroute the water discharge canal from the facility. See enclosure.

SOLID WASTE LANDFILL…Despite heavy opposition from an environmental group, the Calcasieu Parish Planning Commission has approved zoning for a solid waste landfill in Mossville. See enclosure.

LEHA MEETING…The Louisiana Environmental Health Association (LEHA) met last week for its 60th Annual Educational Conference in Marksville. LEHA, a state affiliate of the National Environmental Health Association, began in 1947 to address Louisiana environmental concerns. HDA’s Clark Vega attended and reports below.

Newly appointed Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Secretary Hal Leggett welcomed members to the conference and said he envisions DEQ offering more environmental services at the local level. Leggett went on to say that while the department was a major player in hurricane recovery after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he sees DEQ in an oversight capacity. He said he hopes to reactivate the Louisiana Environmental Advisory Panel.

Phillip Frazier of DEQ’s Surveillance Division gave a presentation on emerging technology for environmental protection. He presented the newer technology used in the “smart” Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) camera versus the older Method 21 machines that are used to control fugitive emissions in refineries, natural gas processing plants and chemical manufacturing facilities. Frazier said there can be 100,000 to 300,000 components (i.e. valves, gaskets, etc.) in one facility that need to be checked regularly for leaks. With the Method 21 equipment, each component has to be touched one-by-one. This can be time consuming, and it is easy to miss some leaks. The LDAR camera, which uses infrared laser technology, can detect leaks easily and monitoring can be done more frequently.
Currently, Method 21 is being used in conjunction with the smart LDAR; however, Frazier said that regulations are being developed for “alternative work practices” to Method 21. DEQ is waiting on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines before deciding on implementation of the camera completely. Frazier added that companies also see a good safety benefit for its employees by using the smart LDAR, especially after a turnaround at a facility.

DEQ Administrator and Technical Advisor to the Secretary, Bruce Hammatt, told the group of approximately 50 attendees about his experience using the HAWK infrared imaging camera, mounted on a helicopter, to find fugitive emissions along the Mississippi and Calcasieu Rivers. DEQ received a grant to use the HAWK camera from the EPA for a demonstration study in June 2005 and used it in follow-up studies in the Summer 2006 through September 2007.

Besides examining more than 100 barges along the rivers, DEQ also examined 2,000-3,000 railcars, and more than 500 storage tanks, according to Hammatt. The HAWK camera was also used after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to examine fixed facilities, railcars, oil spills and natural gas leaks. Hammatt said that some of the leaks discovered were permitted or authorized emissions, but some were unauthorized and illegal. He added that in some cases the companies didn’t know that a vessel was leaking.

While no more HAWK camera studies are scheduled for Louisiana right now, Hammatt did say that most vapor releases are preventable and that regulations are needed for air emissions from barges. Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard regulates barges, but only spills to water, not to the air.

Jim Orgeron of DEQ’s Air Planning Division updated the group on EPA’s proposal to revise the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone. Orgeron said there are six criteria air pollutants for which EPA establishes national standards, and under the Clean Air Act states are required to develop their own State Implementation Plans (SIP) to comply with the standard.

EPA proposed the revisions to the NAAQS for ground-level ozone in June 2007 to “reflect new science evidence about ozone and its effects on people and the public welfare.” EPA proposes to set the primary standard to between 70-75 parts per billion (ppb). Currently, the Baton Rouge area is classified as in non-attainment; however, if the proposed rule goes into effect, almost all of Louisiana would be in non-attainment. If this happens, Orgeron warned that control measures, such as reformulated gas, gas vapor recovery, emission controls and emission requirements could be imposed on small businesses, large industry and mobile sources.

EPA will issue its final rule by March 12, 2008. States will have until June 2009 to make their recommendations for attainment and non-attainment areas with EPA, and EPA will make its final designations of attainment and non-attainment areas by June 2010. SIPs showing how states tend to reduce pollution to meet the standards will be due by 2013.

Air Quality Assessment Senior Scientist Michael Vince explained the Emission Reporting and Inventory Center (ERIC), DEQ’s emission inventory (EI) reporting system. Vince said DEQ started working on streamlining and improving its emission inventory process in 2004 to make it more user-friendly and accessible to the public. The improvements also enhanced data quality and validation and helped to integrate the inventory with other department functions. ERIC is a Web-based program that allows companies to electronically file their emission data with DEQ, which is then used by the department for planning and compliance purposes. Due to a delay because of the hurricanes in 2005, it was first introduced in April 2007 but wasn’t really ready for limited-use until September 2007. It is still in its beginning stages, but, according to Vince, DEQ is still tweaking the process and improving data collection capabilities and uses.

LA. HYPOXIA WORKING GROUP…The Louisiana Hypoxia Working Group met to discuss hypoxia issues that affect Louisiana at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries this past Thursday. An update from the meeting is below.

Len Bahr of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities said that Garrett Graves has been appointed to his old position in the Office of Coastal Affairs, and he (Bahr) was unsure of his status with the governor’s office and uncertain if he would be asked to stay. Bahr said that he did believe the hypoxia issue needed to be more prevalent in Gov. Jindal’s agenda. There needs to be more leadership from Louisiana officials on hypoxia so that states all along the Mississippi River corridor will take notice that it is not just a problem in Louisiana and in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Gene Turner, LSU, said since Louisiana is at the “end of the pipe, without our leadership, nothing gets done.” Henry Graham of the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) added, “Louisiana has to set an example, since we are getting all of the adverse impacts.”

Dr. Turner announced that there is a new article on hypoxia in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal that says nitrates are higher in the Mississippi River than ever before and nitrogen is going up, by as much as 30 percent, in the Gulf of Mexico. Turner warned that the “longer we wait, the harder it gets to fix the problem.”

Dexter Sapp of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) handed out a brochure on the NRCS Rapid Watershed Assessments Program that identifies problem areas and resource concerns to better focus conservation funds to higher priority areas. There are five assessments in Louisiana, one being the Lower Mermentau River. However, Sapp indicated there is only $2 million budgeted for assessments in 19 states. Louisiana received $98,000 to perform five assessments.

Dennis Demcheck of the U.S. Geological Survey said it would continue to monitor its nitrate analyzers in the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, as well as the ones in Morgan City, although the program has ended and there is no more funding. The analyzers take 12 samples everyday, one every two hours.

The Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force will meet again next week in Chicago to finalize the Hypoxia Action Plan. Doug Daigle, Lower Mississippi River Sub-basin Committee, continues to believe the main issue is funding for the plan. According to Daigle, one issue still being discussed is whether the plan’s strategy should include all states in the basin or just the few with the largest loadings to the river.

MORE LATER…

Enclosure #1

The Advocate • Baton Rouge, LA • February 16, 2008
Boustany may face challenge
By PATRICK COURREGES
Baton Rouge – The Advocate
Published: Feb 16, 2008 - Page: 1BA

LAFAYETTE — No challengers have formally announced a run at U.S. Rep. Charles Boustany Jr., R-Lafayette, in his upcoming fall re-election bid for Louisiana’s 7th Congressional District, but several potential candidates have said they’ve been approached.

Boustany is preparing to run for his third term in the office, for the first time under Louisiana’s shift to closed party primaries.

Three possible candidates who have been mentioned at some point — two Democrats and one Republican — say they’ve been contacted about a possible run.

Boustany did not have to face a Republican challenger in running for his second term, and lone Democratic challenger Mike Stagg of Lafayette was never able to match Boustany in fundraising or party support.

State Sen. Mike Michot, R-Lafayette, said Friday that he has plenty of work to do with his current legislative role as chairman of the state Senate Finance Committee and would be unlikely to run this time around.

He said, however, that the answer might be different in a future race for the seat and that he was contacted about making a run at Boustany this time around.

Michot said that some people in the district have expressed disappointment in Boustany in recent months, and the two were on opposite camps in 2007 in a particularly bitter state House race between two Republicans.

In that race — House District 43, located mainly in Lafayette Parish — Michot was part of the group that supported eventual winner Page Cortez, while Boustany sided with outgoing seat holder Ernie Alexander in supporting Patrick LeBlanc.

During the election, LeBlanc’s private prison company was named as part of a bribery investigation of a San Antonio sheriff.

“I think the disenchantment came from his support for LeBlanc,” Michot said of Boustany. “I find it kind of funny that a U.S. Representative would get so involved in an open state House race.”

Michot said that he found Boustany’s open support of LeBlanc was especially strange in light of the legal issues that came up during the campaign and the fact that both candidates had been Boustany supporters.

That aside, Michot said that he has much he wishes to do in his current role with the work Gov. Bobby Jindal wants to get done for the state.

Democratic former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, with likely the highest name recognition in the district, said recently that people have called her about making a run at the seat.

Blanco recently returned to private life after a four-year stint as governor that followed her time as lieutenant governor, as a member of the Public Service Commission, and service in the state House.

Blanco said she is currently quite busy with speaking engagements and the like and enjoying herself.

She said that, while she is not ruling out a run for that office or some other in the future, that’s not what she’s planning on right now.

Another Democrat, former state Rep. Gil Pinac, D-Crowley, said that he has been talking to people about a possible entry into the race.

Pinac, facing term limits in the state House, ran for a state Senate seat in 2007 against Republican Dan “Blade” Morrish of Jennings, but lost.

Pinac said recently that he would be looking into the possibility and make a decision in the “near future.”

He said that making a run at the seat is something he would consider.

Boustany said Friday he is ready for whoever chooses to make a run in the fall.

“If anybody wants to run, we will be ready to take them on,” he said.

Boustany started the year with more than $400,000 in his congressional campaign fund.

He said he is proud of his record both in working on legislation and in reaching out to help his constituents.

“I’ve got a very good record to stand on,” Boustany said.

Enclosure #2

The Daily News • Bogalusa, LA • February 18, 2008
Gaylord moving to Alabama in 2010
BY JOHN H. WALKER
The Daily News

BOGALUSA - Gaylord Chemical Co. LLC will relocate its operations from Bogalusa to Tuscaloosa, Ala. by late 2010, ending nearly 50 years of operations in the Magic City.
Officials with Gaylord confirmed the plans late Friday afternoon.

Gaylord will partner with Hunt Refining Co. who will build and operate a 50,000,000-pound Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) plant at their Tuscaloosa site utilizing Gaylord 's DMS production technology. The plant will supply DMS exclusively to Gaylord, thus providing them with the largest DMS capacity in the world.

Plans for construction of the facility are under way and construction is expected to be completed in mid-2010. In addition, Gaylord will expand and relocate its Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) production to a site adjacent to the DMS production facility in Tuscaloosa.
Gaylord and its predecessors have been manufacturing specialty organosulfur compounds in Bogalusa location since 1961.

"As part of our (purchase) agreement with Temple (Inland), we had to find another source," explained company president and CEO Paul Dennis. Dennis and three members.

Last Aug. 31, Gaylord, which had been a wholly owned subsidiary of Temple-Inland, was been sold to its local management team, made up of Dennis, CFO James LeBlanc, senior vice president of manufacturing Claude Bloom and vice president of marketing and business development Craig Alexander.

Bogalusa mayor Mack McGehee said, "Anytime you lose a job, it's a tremendous loss. Those are high-salary jobs and along with the job, you lose the family."

Dennis said the relocation would affect about 30 employees.

McGehee said that while he felt some people would be pleased with the news, he was not.

"It's been here as long as I can remember and I hate to see it go," he said. "It's going to hurt the tax base ... the ad valorem tax (losses) will kill us."

McGehee said that because of the terms of the transaction between Gaylord and T-I, there was no opportunity to save the facility.

"Basically, my understanding is that it was a done deal," he said. "They had four years to relocate."

Dennis said, "We are excited about our partnership with Hunt Refining. Upon completion, Gaylord Chemical will have the world's largest production capacity for DMSO enabling the company to meet increased customer demand. "

The Gaylord facility will be part of Hunt's Tuscaloosa complex, which will undergo a $675 million expansion. The Tuscaloosa facility now processes 52,000 barrels of crude oil per day to produce asphalt, diesel, kerosene and fuel grade coke. The expansion, which will increase output to 65,000 barrels per day, along with more intensive processing, will double gasoline and diesel fuel production.

Enclosure #3

The Times-Picayune • New Orleans, LA • February 20, 2008
Agreement over pilot surcharge reached
Crescent group approves $245 fee
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
By Jen DeGregorio

The shipping and energy industries have settled a dispute with a group of Louisiana river pilots over a surcharge the pilots want to levy to pay for Hurricane Katrina-related expenses.

River pilots are guides required by Louisiana law to escort vessels along the Mississippi River and other local waterways. They are organized in four associations, each of which is responsible for its own marine territory and collects fees for its work.

The Crescent River Port Pilots Association, which covers the route between Pilottown in Plaquemines Parish and New Orleans, agreed to a $245 surcharge for inbound and outbound vessels. The fee will begin March 1 and stop after the association earns the $2.55 million it says it needs pay for costs incurred during the 2005 storm.

The Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission, a state board that governs river pilot fees, approved the surcharge Monday at a special meeting in Baton Rouge. The settlement represents a truce between the Crescent pilots and lobbying groups for the shipping and energy industries, which have been battling over the amount of the surcharge.

In April, the pilot association asked the fee commission to approve a $172.14 surcharge for each ship movement. Because the pilots often move vessels more than twice per voyage, that amount in many cases would have been more expensive than the $245 fee for inbound and outbound traffic, or $490 maximum per ship.

The amended surcharge will save the shipping and energy industries about $1 million, said Sean M. Duffy, president and CEO of the New Orleans Steamship Association, one of the groups that contested the Crescent pilot surcharge request. Other groups challenging the pilots include the Louisiana Chemical Association, Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association and the Mississippi River Maritime Association.

Late last year, the groups blasted the pilot association after reviewing the association's financial records, which were made public for the case. The trade groups said the documents revealed shady accounting and a series of discreet business deals that the Crescent pilots used to justify a rate increase that would create a "windfall" for its members.

Among criticisms were "artificially inflated" expenses and "extraordinary" compensation packages, which included an average pilot salary of more than $340,000 per year. The trade groups were also troubled by a business partnership the pilots formed to buy vessels and lease them back to the association for "handsome personal profits."

Monday's settlement addressed those problems, according to Duffy.

"We spent a lot of time fighting on a couple of issues," he said. "We're glad it's over."

However, the trade groups are still fighting other Crescent pilot fees, namely a requested 5 percent tariff increase and a fee that would allow the pilots group to recapture expenses it did not foresee in its budget forecast. Hearings have been deferred on those matters until the spring.

Jen DeGregorio can be reached at jdegregorio@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3495.

. . . . . . .

Enclosure #4

The Times-Picayune • New Orleans, LA • February 21, 2008
Fee for river pilot board rejected
Oversight panel to ask Legislature
New Orleans Times-Picayune
Thursday, February 21, 2008
By Jen DeGregorio

A state board that was created nearly four years ago by the Legislature to oversee the behavior of Louisiana river pilots, but was never financed, must return to Baton Rouge this year if it wants money to pay for its operation.

After months of debate, a different state board charged with regulating river pilot fees said that it would not levy a surcharge on the shipping industry to finance the oversight board. The Louisiana Pilotage Fee Commission ruled at a special meeting this week that it does not have the authority to impose such a fee.

Richard Ganucheau, chairman of the Board of Louisiana River Pilot Review and Oversight, said he will ask the Legislature to include money for his board in the state budget or to draft legislation that would create a financing mechanism, such as a shipping tax.

"If the Legislature and the governor want this board to operate, it must be funded," Ganucheau said.

State law requires licensed river pilots to steer ships along the Mississippi River and other local waterways. The pilots are organized in four associations, each of which has its own marine territory and charges fees for its services.

In 2004, the Legislature created the fee commission and oversight board in an effort to rein in the river pilot industry. In 2001, The Times-Picayune reported that the pilot associations were nepotistic and often lax in punishing pilots involved in accidents.

The bill empowering the two boards said the fee commission could charge maritime interests to support its activities but was less clear about how the oversight board should finance its dealings, and Ganucheau has since attempted to find cash for his organization. In June, he asked the fee commission to impose a $25.20 fee on each piloted vessel entering the Mississippi and Calcasieu rivers to pay for his board's estimated $164,000 annual budget.

The fee commission's decision not to pass the fee comes after months of discussion about the scope of the commission's authority. After concerns that the commission could not create a fee unless expressly requested to do so by a river pilot group, two pilot associations in November asked the board to sanction such a fee. Three months later, however, the commission voted against the fee because it would not contribute to the "ordinary and necessary expenses" incurred by the river pilots.

"I genuinely felt we lacked the authority," said Alfred S. Lippman, chairman of the fee commission, adding that the ruling would end the potential for "further litigation and controversy."

Ganucheau said he was "disappointed" with the fee commission's decision but that he would continue to pursue alternatives from the Legislature. He said he has brought his board's needs to the attention of Senate President Joel Chaisson II, D-Destrehan, and the state Office of Planning and Budge. Ganucheau is awaiting a response from both offices.

Jen DeGregorio can be reached at jdegregorio@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3495.

. . . . . . .

Enclosure #5

American Press • Lake Charles, LA • February 22, 2008
McNeese report: Area jobs going down brain drain
Schools don’t teach skills needed for work here, professor says
Lake Charles American Press
February 22, 2008
BY JOHN GUIDROZ

A recent economic study indicates that Southwest Louisiana technical college and university graduates are accepting higher-paying jobs outside the state.

The report, titled “The Effects of Hurricane Rita on the Labor Market of Southwest Louisiana,” was written by McNeese State University professors Michael Kurth and Daryl Burckel. It was presented at the McNeese Business Conference Center on Thursday.

Kurth said that in August 2005, Southwest Louisiana had reached an all-time high for employment and was the No. 1 projected area for continued economic growth.

After Hurricane Katrina, many local workers moved to New Orleans for reconstruction jobs that were paying $15 to $20 an hour. Kurth said this added to a pre-existing shortage of low-income workers in Southwest Louisiana.

“After the hurricane (Rita), people were wondering where all the workers went,” he said.

Kurth said low-income positions are the hardest to fill because most people are not willing to relocate.

Burckel said the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance was also concerned about a lack of workers in the $10-to-$16-anhour range.

He found that there was an abundance of workers in the midrange level, but a shortage for the low- and high-end jobs.

The study showed that overall job vacancies increased from 2.5 percent in 2005 to 6.5 percent in 2006. During this time, positions stayed unfilled for longer and work force experience decreased.

Kurth said he was surprised that overall wages also dropped from 2005 to 2006.

“I thought, ‘This has to be wrong.’ So we went and talked to restaurant associations, and they said that our numbers were right,” he said.

He explained that petrochemical refineries began raising wages by as much as $6 per hour to fill gaps left after the storm.

“When you talk about small businesses, they can’t do that,” he said. “Instead they worked employees overtime, left positions empty and cut back their hours.”

Burckel said many small businesses accepted workers with less experience and suffered in overall job quality.

According to the study, Louisiana ranks 39th in the nation in terms of retaining workers right out of college. Kurth said no major cities statewide have reported an influx of young employees.

“People in smaller cities aren’t moving to Baton Rouge or New Orleans. They’re moving to Dallas, Houston, Austin or Atlanta,” he said.

He said that while McNeese and Sowela Technical Community College are turning out qualified graduates, most do not have the necessary skills for jobs that are available in the region.

“It has always been that way. When I came to McNeese in 1984, I taught a class for graduating seniors on how to get a job in Dallas, Houston and elsewhere,” he said.

Burckel said another factor that is hurting the nation’s job market is the impression that a college degree is the only path toward a good career.

“There’s no one size fits all,” he said. “We have to bring back the dignity and the value of a blue-collar job.”

Burckel said the only way to resolve this problem is to have economic development and education working together.

“We’ve also got students who think they can get a degree in general studies and start making lots of money right out of college. It doesn’t work that way,” he said.

He said another problem is the lack of available rental housing for people interested in moving to Southwest Louisiana.

“There’s a demand for about 14,000 units in the Lake Charles area, and right now there’s only about 6,000.”

Kurth said middle school students should be exposed to possible career opportunities before making a decision during high school.

He said it could take decades before the younger generation begins accepting local jobs instead of moving away.

“It’s not a short-term fix, but you have to start somewhere if you want to be different 20 years from now.”

Enclosure #6

The Advocate • Baton Rouge, LA • February 22, 2008
Funding, training, incentives key to next work force
By GARY PERILLOUX
Baton Rouge – The Advocate business writer
Published: Feb 22, 2008 - Page: 1D

Panelists whose employers will shape work force policy for Gov. Bobby Jindal agreed on much at a Thursday panel but raised enough varying points of emphasis to underscore the Herculean challenge facing the Legislature.

When special sessions on ethics and business taxes fade away, a centerpiece of the 2008 regular session will be work force development — the whole spectrum of educating and training state residents for jobs, particularly hard-to-fill vacancies in industries crucial to a vibrant economy.

The panel explored the work force landscape in a forum conducted by the League of Women Voters of Baton Rouge.

About two out of three Louisiana jobs created in the 21st century will require education beyond the high school level but short of a bachelor’s degree, said Jim Henderson, a senior vice president for work force development in the state’s community and technical college system.

Most successful states have a higher number of students in community college and post-secondary vocational campuses than students in four-year in colleges, he said.

Louisiana, which trailed other states in implementing a community college system less than a decade ago, runs counter to that trend with three students in four-year schools for every community college student. Louisiana needs to get from 54,000 to an enrollment of 160,000 in the community and technical college system, Henderson said.

Training also must target high-demand areas, he said. A post-Katrina program to supply construction workers boosted enrollment from 1,000 to 12,000, using $20 million in state and federal funds, but the program took one year, which is longer than ideal for a rapid response program, Henderson said.

A $173 million capital outlay last year for community college facilities will help, as will niche centers of excellence in emergency response, advanced manufacturing technology, alternative energy and cyberspace security — all high-growth job areas for the state, he said.

“Now, I think people are getting it,” the state Department of Education’s James Owens said about career and vocational education in grades six through 12, where more than 169,000 Louisiana students are taking advantage of career courses.

More need to take part in internships, work-based cooperative education and dual-credit classes in technical subjects, he said.

Cathy Breaux, the state Department of Economic Development’s work force director, said her department offers training dollars to companies seeking to retain existing workers and upgrade their skills. The state Department of Labor also oversees an incumbent worker training program that promotes similar aims.

“We have different pots of money,” she said. “But we know we lack a lot. “

The sprawl of training dollars — found in state education, labor and economic development department programs, and on higher education campuses — is expected to be a consolidation target in the regular legislative session.

One of eight planks identified by Jindal’s work force transition team in a report last month is the recommendation to steer all training money through one office, with the community and technical college system as the primary provider of training services.

Jindal’s team also recommends placing much more authority in regional work force investment boards, something embraced by the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry as that group prepares to introduce legislation to overhaul Louisiana’s system of work force development.

LABI wants training funds to flow through a new three-member Louisiana Workforce Commission to local work force investment boards, with the boards having much more authority in steering dollars to high-demand labor needs.

Both Breaux and Tia Edwards, the Department of Labor’s deputy secretary for work force development, said they expect significant changes that will improve the system.

“Whatever system we have,” Edwards said, “has got to be a demand-driven system: That is critical.”

Louis Reine, state AFL-CIO president, said an aging work force and a high student dropout rate hinder the development of an adequate labor force in Louisiana.

He said smaller class sizes in schools will reduce the dropout rate, while steps to increase the migration of residents into the state is key.

“It’s as important in the skilled work force as it is in higher education,” Reine said of reducing migration from the state, a problem exacerbated by the 2005 hurricanes.

Z. David DeLoach — an audience member whose 120-employee maritime company is based in Port Allen — pleaded with the panel to provide more work force training resources to smaller companies, not just major employers. Companies his size and smaller don’t have the resources to navigate complicated training program paperwork, he said.

“It should be solved and it can be solved,” said Breaux, who recommended contacting regional economic development representatives for assistance.

Lori Brannon, an economic development consultant for St. James Parish and audience member, said firms also should approach their local or parish-based economic developer for help in obtaining training.

Keith Amacker, an audience member and director of Homeland Security studies at Tulane University, said the state must be careful not to chase customized, company-specific training programs at the expense of basic education skills.

Well-educated high school and community college students can adapt to corporate training, he said after the forum. And if the pool of adaptable students with basic skills increases, Amacker said Louisiana could qualify for the huge industrial projects being won by other states — such employers as ThyssenKrupp, Hyundai, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz.

“We will never attract that kind of industry to this state unless we produce a trainable, educated work force,” he said. “What I heard in there was too much training and not enough education.”

Enclosure #7

American Press • Lake Charles, LA • February 20, 2008
PPG to remediate canal
$10.8M project will reroute water discharge
BY MIKE JONES
LAKE CHARLES -AMERICAN PRESS
February 20, 2008

PPG Industries announced Tuesday that work will soon begin on its $10.8 million project to remediate and reroute the water discharge canal from the facility.

“Soon, the public will see equipment working in the marshy area beneath the I-210 bridge,” said Jon Manns, PPG Lake Charles works manager. “This project is a continuation of our work to remediate the 60-year-old canal.”

All necessary local, state and federal permits for the project have been received, he said. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Mike Huber of PPG said the “legacy contamination” in the canal goes back to long before the state Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency existed and before strict regulations were in place.

As part of the project, PPG will also create new wetlands, which should be completed within a year.

Huber said the first phase of the project will be work on the upper canal, which will be rerouted directly to the Calcasieu River. It is now routed to Bayou d’Inde.

Huber said PPG will line the new canal with concrete to eliminate the possibility of contamination.

He said the second phase, which is still awaiting permits, will deal with the lower part of the canal.

“As a DEQ employee who has worked on Calcasieu issues for many years, it’s encouraging to see industry take matters into their own hands and work for the betterment of the environment,” said DEQ Assistant Secretary Lou Buatt. “We look forward to more positive announcements concerning the estuary in the near future.”

David Richard, of Stream Property Management Inc. and Stream Wetland Services LLC, said he will work with PPG to design and implement the part of the project that will use dredge material to rebuild the wetland in that part of the Calcasieu Estuary.

“This project will demonstrate the replacement of vegetated wetlands that are so valuable to estuarine-dependent species of fish and wildlife in the Calcasieu Basin,” Richard said. “PPG is using private funds for the replacement of wetlands that have been lost to subsidence, saltwater intrusion and erosion.”

He said the project should be a model for future projects to replace lost wetlands.

Richard said they should be planting grass on the new wetlands by the third quarter of this year and that people should see ample growth by the summer of 2009.

Enclosure #8

American Press • Lake Charles, LA • February 20, 2008
Council, commission discuss future growth of city
BY HEATHER REGAN WHITE
Lake Charles, AMERICAN PRESS
February 20, 2008

SULPHUR — Members of the City Council and the Land Use Commission want to make sure the city grows “in the right way.”

They met on Tuesday in the first meeting of its kind to formulate a plan to address needs, changes and analyses of land-use requirements. No action was taken, and no public comments were heard.

“No one wants another gaming situation without the opportunity for input,” said Council Chairwoman Nancy Tower, referring to the construction of a truckstop casino near Wal-Mart on Cities Service Highway.

Land Use Commission member Gerritt Lawrence said it was not the intent of the commission to stop economic development.

“We just want to grow it in the right way,” he said.

A suggestion by councilman Stuart Moss will most likely be on the commission’s March meeting agenda.

He said a temporary amendment should be made requiring that any commercial permit request be communicated to both the commission and the council, which would then be given 14 days to allow for any questions or concerns to be addressed.

The amendment would be in effect until a revised landuse ordinance is in place.

Tower said concerns regarding a commercial permit would be taken into a public hearing.

If passed by the commission, the amendment would be on the council’s April meeting agenda.

Councilwoman Dru Ellender asked how the city could say no to any request for a permit that met its requirements. Lawrence said that carving out a gambling district might address that concern.

“Family entertainment and restaurants would naturally want to be near each other,” he said.

Moss agreed, saying truckstops need to be by the interstate.

It was agreed that council members will work with the commission in getting a handle on their districts.

“We need to ride street by street,” said commission member Troy Darby.

The teams will meet over the next 30 days, and members hope they will have a comprehensive map for each district 30 days after that.

Some suggestions for a new land-use plan include the overlaying of districts; moving clutter and signs farther from roads; incorporating subdivision and mobile-home park ordinances into the landuse ordinance; drafting the ordinance in laymen’s terms; taking state and local building codes into consideration; and looking at building height requirements.

There was an unofficial consensus that the services of a land-use specialist be contracted. The commission will request bids for this at its March meeting.

Meeting attendees agreed that all city personnel, council members and commission members need training in city planning.

The two bodies will meet again at 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, at City Hall. The commission meeting has been moved to 5:30 p.m. to accommodate this.