The crafty US state that's thriving under Trump

Louisiana has long been overshadowed by its more showy neighbour Texas, which boasts a larger economy and population and has for decades wielded greater sway among policymakers in Washington DC and on the world stage.

- Gavin Maguire

But the Bayou State is staging a revival that could see it emerge as the more dynamic and influential Gulf Coast hub over the coming decades, thanks to a development blueprint that could be described as being all things to all people.

As the main exit point for US LNG exports, Louisiana is a key cheerleader of the "drill baby drill" vibe stemming from the new administration of US President Donald Trump, and is also home to some of the country’s most important natural gas basins.

The state is also planning for a brand new multi-billion dollar steel plant that was celebrated at a White House ceremony earlier this year, heralding a return of traditional manufacturing to the United States.

Yet Louisiana's smokestack industries — which include century-old refining and chemicals sectors — are also at the cutting edge of an ongoing carbon capture drive that has made the state a major player in the clean energy field.

Throw in a leading hydrogen industry, a battery production sector and a growing data centre presence, and Louisiana could offer something for whichever party is in power in Washington, with industries fit for America’s 21st-century needs.

A key driver of Louisiana's progress is a willingness to repurpose the old and bolt on the new.

And that philosophy extends beyond bricks and mortar industry to marketing pitches and business mission statements.

For instance, projects that were touted as drivers of the energy transition under the Biden administration are now marketed as boosting energy security and job creation, which is much more palatable to the Trump administration.