June 2019 Newsletter
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June 2019 | Volume 7 | Issue 3 COMMUNIQUÉ Kline announces state funding for $18.5 million floodgate By: Julia Arenstam, edited by Christy Alley Naquin At the April SCIA General Membership vee systems, will provide closure to the last Meeting, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and major gap in the Morganza levee system Restoration Authority Board Chairman Chip protecting eastern Terrebonne and north Kline announced that the state will pay for Lafourche Parish citizens,” coalition Pres- the $18.5 million Grand Bayou floodgate. ident Jay Walker said. The floodgate is the largest gap in the Working with the Bayou Lafourche Fresh- Morganza to the Gulf Hurricane Protection water District and Executive Director Ben System between reaches K and L. Malbrough, the $65 million Bayou Lafourche CPRA will also give the South Lafourche pump station will now be financed through Levee District another $5 million for work a Department of Environmental Quality re- along the Larose-to-Golden Meadow hur- volving loan fund. ricane protection system, Kline said. The project was originally scheduled to Chip Kline “That is a huge announcement that every receive $35 million from GOMESA revenue. CPRA Board Chairman single leader in this room, from Terrebonne The new loan frees up almost $20 million be about $826,000, Malbrough said. Parish and Lafourche Parish have been for CPRA to spend on the Grand Bayou Because of the partnership with CPRA actively pursuing over the last five years,” floodgate. and DEQ, the water district is able to pay for Kline said. The Bayou Lafourche pump station in the project without increasing water fees or The floodgate project was made possible Donaldsonville is designed to improve pump- imposing any new taxes, he said. through the release of almost $20 million ing capacity and increase the freshwater “This is the first restoration project that from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act supply for nearby marshes. is going to be constructed with this funding (GOMESA) in the CPRA annual plan. The freshwater district and CPRA are source,” Malbrough said. The $18.5 million now fully funds the splitting the cost, with CPRA committing to The project qualified for the low-interest floodgate’s construction. The project should a $50 million share and the district to a $15 DEQ loan because it is part of the Baratar- be put out for bid in July and complete con- million share. The two agencies will split the ia-National Estuary Program’s comprehen- struction before the 2021 hurricane season. repayments on the DEQ loan for up to 22 sive conservation and management plan. “The Morganza Action Coalition is grateful years, Malbrough said. Malbrough said they worked with BTNEP to and appreciative of Gov. John Bel Ed- “As the result of the leadership and the staff to identify the new funding source, wards and his executive assistant for coastal proactive mindset of Ben Malbrough, he which has primarily been used for sewerage activities, Chip Kline, for their continued found a way with us to finance that project projects. support to complete the Morganza-to-the- over 20 years,” Kline said. Over the last three years, the freshwater Gulf levee system. Their commitment to With a low interest rate of 0.95 percent, district has spent about $3 million on en- fund over $18 million from GOMESA funds CPRA’s estimated annual payments will be gineering and designs for the new pump. to build the Grand Bayou floodgate, linking roughly $2.7 million under a 20-year bond Once financing is complete, Malbrough said the Terrebonne and Lafourche parish le- plan. The district’s annual payments would see CPRA page 8 1 A Message from our President I’d like to finish on the same topic that I started with... Purpose. The SCIA purpose in my words - we are an organization focused on engaging leaders to come up with solutions to the business challenges in our region. We are constantly striving to improve the business climate so companies can succeed, so jobs can flourish, and ultimately so the people of this community can enjoy the best quality of life this region has to offer. I am proud of the progress towards that purpose over the last year, and confident that progress will be greater still in the years to come. The strength of this organization is in our hard working members. Please continue to stay committed to and engaged with your SCIA in striving for this good purpose. Thanks, Paul Danos SCIA PRESIDENT Executive Director Christy Alley Naquin Assistant Director Kathy Doiron Committee Chairs Annual Banquet Lori Davis, Stephanie Hebert Crawfish Boil Jason Bergeron Finance Charles Theriot Paul Danos Chett Chiasson Jared Toups Stuart Faucheux Charles Theriot Golf Tournament Lance Trotti President Exec. Vice President Vice President Secretary Treasurer ICE Willard Robison, Chad Hebert POWER Henri Boulet, Simone Maloz, Joni Tuck Workforce Development Nicol Blanchard Communique´ Editor Christy Naquin Printed by Star Printing 309 North Hollywood Road, Houma, LA 70364 (985) 872-4584 Designed by Nicki Boudreaux Lori LeBlanc Mitch Marmande Robbie Naquin Wynn Radford Cory Keif Boudreaux Strategic Communications Director Director Director Director Advisor (985) 414-1934 SCIA Communiqué is a publication of the South Central Industrial Association P.O. Box 2143 • Houma, LA 70361-2143 (985) 851-2201 • Fax (985) 851-2202 www.sciaonline.net 2 Luthi points to industry’s growing demand A Message from our President From the By: Julia Arenstam, as edited by Christy Alley Naquin Director’’s That is coupled with a rise in momentum and resurgence of investments in the off- shore industry as onshore shale drilling has Desk slowed down or come to a plateau, he said. Through equipment and platform stan- I have the honor of working with dardization, companies have reduced the break-even price for a barrel of oil. Execu- so many dynamic leaders. Each year tives of Shell, Chevron and BP stated the at about this time, our current SCIA same. present passes the gavel to the new Standardization has driven the break- incoming President. even price down from over $100 per barrel, As we close out a Board term at to $45 or $55, Luthi said. But the future of SCIA I am able to reflect on the past the industry relies heavily on politics, he said. year. It has been an honor to work Randall Luthi Luthi praised efforts by President Donald NOIA President Trump’s administration to open up offshore closely with Paul Danos over the last The latest speaker at the South Central drilling beyond the Gulf Coast. The Ad- 12 months during his presidency. Industrial Association’s monthly meeting ministration’s America First offshore ener- Paul’s leadership and forward rounded out a series of talks on the oil and gy policy and strategy, for example, would thinking has helped to grow SCIA gas industry. open drilling or exploration to 90 percent of in powerful and meaningful ways. Randall Luthi, departing president of federal offshore leases. Yet after the 2018 the National Ocean Industries Association Even during a slow recovering midterms and the “blue wave,” combined (NOIA), told the group of industry profes- economy, Paul has led the way for with the upcoming presidential election in sionals at the May General Membership 2020, Luthi said, the industry should expect SCIA to become more relevant and meeting that the oil and gas industry will gridlock in Washington. even more philanthropic as evident not fade away. Due to rising energy con- “On oil and gas, don’t expect anything with SCIA’s $60,000 contribution sumption across the globe, the oil and gas good to come out of the House of Repre- to Fletcher Technical Community industry will continue to be a major source sentatives,” Luthi said, noting the growing College. The donation for the Career for energy into 2040, along with renewable number of Democrats in the House. energy, he said. Center building, bringing all essential There are some renewable energies that NOIA is an offshore industry and lob- admissions, workforce solutions and are begging to form as a branch of the oil by group based in Washington, D.C., that and gas industries, he said. One project in career counseling under one roof represents the offshore business interests Rhode Island put wind turbines offshore, will unify so many services that new and related industries. For 47 years, the utilizing some of the same service companies students, returning students, and even group has promoted fair and open access offshore platforms would use, Luthi said. unemployed laborers can utilize. for development, Luthi said. There’s a “pipeline” of similar projects Listing all of Paul’s accomplishments “Offshore is not dead, nor is it irrelevant,” planned along the East Coast. he said. “But it could be doing a lot better related to SCIA and his attributes would As Luthi prepares to leave NOIA to re- than it is.” fill this entire newsletter. So, I’ll just say turn to his home state of Wyoming, he said Executives from some of the country’s the industry needs to continue working to Thank you, Paul. largest oil and gas producers such as Shell, revitalize the Gulf of Mexico, open access to Chett, I look forward to working Chevron and BP have all spoken to SCIA the eastern side of the Gulf, improve safety with you and building upon what all of members on the same topic over the past and speak up. the Presidents before you have worked few months. “There is no margin of error for us. We toward. SCIA will continue to do great The oil and gas industry is expected cannot make mistakes,” he said.