As one of the fastest-growing parishes in Louisiana, it’s troubling when we hear that Ascension Parish and the greater Capital Region are missing out on opportunities. It’s even more frustrating to hear that we aren’t losing economic momentum because we’re unprepared, but because we’ve eff ectively put ourselves on pause. Ascension Parish Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Donnie Miller is a guest columnist. The viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ascension Business Report or its staff. At a moment when other states are aggressively competing for industrial investment and good-paying jobs, we have chosen uncertainty. This signals to companies ready to build here that even fully vetted, billion-dollar projects can be stopped without warning. Late last year, Louisiana paused new carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects following an executive order from Governor Jeff Landry, amid increasing political scrutiny of the technology. The resulting uncertainty has slowed momentum behind one of the region’s most significant economic development opportunities, placing billions of dollars in announced investment at risk and raising concerns among companies looking to invest in the Capital Region. The scale of that opportunity is significant. As a new report from LSU’s Center for Energy Studies illustrates, there are currently 13 publicly announced industrial projects in Louisiana with an estimated $48 billion in capital investment that include a carbon capture component. If these facilities move forward, they could support nearly 40,000 jobs annually during construction and contribute roughly $26.8 billion to Louisiana’s Gross State Product over that period. Carbon capture and storage has become a political flashpoint in Louisiana, even as it enjoys clear support at the federal level. President Trump has repeatedly backed the technology as a critical industrial strategy and included it in major legislative efforts aimed at strengthening American energy and manufacturing. For Ascension Parish and the broader Capital Region, CCS is not an abstract policy debate. It is tied directly to industrial competitiveness, business confidence, and our ability to meet the needs of major projects here in Louisiana.  Despite this support, opposition groups continue to frame CCS as an abstract climate experiment. Recent reporting has raised serious questions about how grassroots those efforts really are, pointing to funding from national anti-fossil-fuel organizations. The result is a political distraction that risks overshadowing what CCS actually represents for our economy. Carbon capture is a proven technology that keeps our manufacturing, refining, and petrochemical industries competitive in a changing global market. As international buyers and regulators demand lower-emissions products, our producers will need tools to meet those standards. CCS is one of the few viable options available, but only if the state allows it to move forward. Before the moratorium, the Capital Region was positioned to lead. Companies had already committed hundreds of millions of dollars to local contractors, creating jobs for construction workers, truck drivers, engineers, and skilled trades. These projects strengthened local economies and signaled that more investment was coming. Once operational, facilities like these are expected to support roughly 3,500 long-term jobs statewide while contributing hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Louisiana’s economy. Now, continued uncertainty threatens to send that investment elsewhere. That urgency was clear at a recent Consumer Energy Alliance panel, where industry voices emphasized both the growing demand for carbon capture and the reality that Texas is moving quickly to attract projects that Louisiana has put on hold. If that happens, we risk losing thousands of potential jobs and tens of billions of dollars in capital that could have been built here. Our economic history is defined by moments when we chose to compete. This is one of those moments. Prolonged indecision carries real consequences, and standing still has never been a winning strategy. As we move into the year ahead, state leaders should reconsider the moratorium and recognize what’s at stake. The question isn’t whether we can compete. It’s whether we’re willing. ...read more read less