By David Vitrano
L’Observateur

VACHERIE – Gov. Bobby Jindal and a bevy of local and state officials gathered in the shadow of Oak Alley Plantation Thursday to announce the latest coup for St. James Paris’s industrial sector.
In a joint effort between South Louisiana Methanol and New Zealand-based Todd Corp., the west bank of St. James Parish will be home to a $1.3 billion methanol production facility. The facility will be the largest of its kind in North America.
The plant will be located in the western end of the parish, further industrializing an area already dominated by tanks and other industrial apparatus.
The project is expected to create 63 new direct jobs, which will have an average salary of $66,500 per year, plus benefits. An additional 374 indirect jobs are expected to be created by the venture.
Austin, Texas-based Zero Emission Energy Plant Ltd., or ZEEP, and Todd Corp. are joint owners of the project. Methanol is used by manufacturers to produce everyday goods, such as plastics, polyester fibers and fabrics, pesticides, fuel additives, pharmaceuticals and adhesives for the wood products industry.
Jindal beamed with pride as he made the announcement.
“Many regions have not been able to make these kinds of announcements,” he said. “These two companies could have invested anywhere.”
He continued, “It seems like we keep coming back to St. James Parish.
“Today’s announcement is part of a trend,” he said.
Jindal pointed out that Louisiana has reversed its negative population trend during the last four years and that the state now sits atop the national rankings for business climate.
He also said the presence of the Port of South Louisiana and recent investments in its infrastructure have made the area even more attractive to industry.
South Louisiana Methanol President and CEO Barry Williamson said, “It will help put the Gulf of Mexico back on the map for methanol production.
“We will be a good steward of the environment,” he added. “We will convert Louisiana natural gas to methanol. We’ll keep that economic benefit right here at home.”
Todd Corp. CEO John Young highlighted many similarities between his home country of New Zealand and Louisiana, noting the dominant role water plays in each location and the fact that each has a major city struggling in the aftermath of a natural disaster. New Zealand’s second-largest city, Christchurch, was decimated by an earthquake in 2011.
“We aspire to create a long-term, global-scale business here in Louisiana,” he said.
Construction of the project will begin in the fourth quarter of 2013, with hiring expected to begin in early 2015 and commercial operations of the South Louisiana Methanol facility to start in mid-2016.
Although most in the region will welcome the new plant — and the tax dollars and jobs it will bring — it is another sign of increased industrialization in an area where many residents feel like their community is being marginalized in favor of the almighty dollar. At a recent community meeting concerning the proposed closure of Fifth Ward Elementary School — partially spurred by this demographic trend — many residents showed they are not yet willing to let go of the place they call home.