Louisiana has been the king of energy since John Mecom founded the Saints and the colors were black and gold because he was an oil man, according to Michael Hecht, President & CEO of GNO Inc.
And a transition is coming, one that could stem the tide of people leaving the state for opportunity elsewhere, Hecht said.
"You can look at the numbers, we've already created 6,000 jobs in energy transition. We've got another 10,000 in the hopper. That would be about a 20% increase in our total energy employment. and we're seeing it across the job, in legacy industries like oil collection in the Gulf," Hecht told WWL's Newell Normand.
Political leadership, know-how, and a motivated workforce are the keys that have tens of billions of dollars in investment coming, he added. Carbon capture, the biggest offshore wind convention in the world, solar panel manufacturing, battery manufacturing, making airline fuel out of French fry oil, and more mean Louisiana is poised to retain its crown.
"Collectively, Newell, it's pretty real and this is the place it should happen," he added. Newell said emerging technology and new opportunities don't mean turning your back on oil energy. It means changing with the times.
Leaders have been struggling with how to stem the tide of people leaving the state, while neighboring Texas is home to eight of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the United States. Last year, Dallas-Fort Worth added over 400 people every day.
Energy jobs are the key to competing with the Lonestar State, Hecht wrote in a column.
"We have some special advantages: first, decades of energy experience and infrastructure; second, geology that is uniquely suited for carbon capture; and third, political leadership that stands apart in recognizing and supporting the economic opportunity inherent in the energy transition," he wrote.
"It’s time to mess with Texas and take back our legacy. Louisiana can be the “All-of-the-Above Clean Energy State of the Future.”