SPACEX LOOKING TO BUILD A FACILITY IN SOUTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA. WELL STATE LEADERS DIDN’T DENY ALL THE CHATTER THAT’S BEEN SWIRLING ONLINE ABOUT THAT VERY POSSIBILITY. IT COMES AS THE NASA ADMINISTRATOR IS IN NEW ORLEANS TO TOUR THE FACILITY, FLANKED BY THE COUNTRY’S TOP NASA OFFICIAL, JARED ISAACMAN, AT THE FACILITY. THE STATE’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CZAR SAYS THIS INDUSTRY IS KEY FOR LOUISIANA AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE WAS CALLED OUT AS A PRIORITY SECTOR FOR US. AND WHILE SECRETARY SUSAN BOURGEOIS PRAISED THE WORK BEING DONE IN NEW ORLEANS EAST ON THE ARTEMIS PROJECTS, SHE WAS ASKED DIRECTLY ABOUT RUMORS THAT HER AGENCY, LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, IS TRYING TO LURE SPACEX TO THE STATE. SO DOES THE PRIVATE SECTOR. LOOKS AT LOUISIANA. WE HOPE THEY SEE ME FIRST AS THE EXAMPLE OF WHY WE WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD AT IT AND WILL CONTINUE TO LEAD. HAVE YOU ALL HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH ELON MUSK ABOUT SPACEX? WE’RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH SPACE COMPANIES ALL THE TIME TO COME TO LOUISIANA. WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT THOSE CONVERSATIONS. LEGISLATION IS FILED AT THE CAPITOL, WHICH WOULD HELP STATE LEADERS RECRUIT A BUSINESS LIKE SPACEX. ONLINE POSTS INDICATE THAT A POSSIBLE LOCATION NEAR VERMILION BAY AND PECAN ISLAND, JUST SOUTHWEST OF MORGAN CITY, COULD BE A POSSIBLE SITE. ONE ARCHITECT BEHIND THOSE AEROSPACE FRIENDLY BILLS IS FROM ASSUMPTION PARISH. A PROJECT LIKE THAT SUSTAIN IN LOUISIANA AND CAN IT EXIST WITH THE NATIONAL FACILITY? YEAH. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER I’M DISCUSSING A SPECIFIC PROJECT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY I AM NOT, AND REGARDLESS OF INTERNET CHATTER, I WOULD ARGUE AN ISSUE IS THE EXACT EXAMPLE OF HOW WE WANT TO SHOW THAT THE LOUISIANA WORKFORCE IS HERE. WE HAVE PUT EVERY FUNCTIONAL COMPONENT OF EVERY ROCKET THAT HAS GONE TO THE MOON IN THE LAST 60 YEARS HAS COME THROUGH NEW ORLEANS. SPACEX IS BASED IN TEXAS NOW WITH A LAUNCH FACILITY IN SOUTH TEXAS NEAR BROWNSVI