Our country is the product of our history. And as America’s 250th anniversary nears, those echoes sound with unusual clarity.

Later this year, we will also mark 223 years since Oct. 17, 1803, when President Thomas Jefferson urged Congress to ratify the treaty formalizing the Louisiana Purchase. He said the new territory would bring “important aids to our Treasury, an ample provision for our prosperity, and a widespread field for the blessings of freedom.”

He was right.

From the day Standard Oil built its Baton Rouge refinery in 1909, Louisiana has powered America’s prosperity. Much has changed since Jefferson’s time, but one truth remains: Louisiana’s leadership in energy remains essential to American manufacturing and a cornerstone of our national strength.

Manufacturers champion an “all of the above” energy strategy — a path to unleash America’s energy dominance. And that path runs through Louisiana.

The manufacturing industry consumes one-third of the nation’s energy. To lead as an industry, every energy source, every electron counts. Manufacturers understand that leadership isn’t about producing more, it’s about using energy wisely.

Manufacturing is key to Louisiana’s economy, representing 17% of state GDP and nearly $58 billion in output. More than 143,000 Louisianans work in manufacturing, earning nearly double the state’s average wage. Those jobs depend on access to abundant, affordable energy, because manufacturers make energy and use energy.

The resilience, affordability and reliability of U.S. oil and gas underpin our industrial base, our national security and our ability to compete globally. In Louisiana, manufacturers are on the front lines of that effort, onshore and offshore alike from the state’s pipelines to its LNG terminals. And the state has made it clear over the years that energy and manufacturing are top priorities.

But leadership also requires follow-through. Too many critical projects remain stuck in permitting limbo, waiting for approvals that should have come long ago. Louisiana alone has billions of dollars in potential investment literally stuck. Words must be turned into action to move projects forward. With billions on the line, manufacturing needs a predictable permitting process that sparks long-term certainty.

Since day one of President Donald Trump’s administration, he has answered the calls of manufacturers by reversing the previous administration’s ban on liquefied natural gas exports. That decision reaffirmed America’s commitment to lead the world in energy production and trade.

If we want to keep leading, manufacturers need comprehensive permitting reform now. America’s broken permitting system is costing America’s manufacturers $8 billion each year, according to recent analysis by the National Association of Manufacturers and the Foundation for American Innovation. It takes roughly 80% longer to approve a major energy or infrastructure project in the U.S. than in other advanced economies. That means higher costs, fewer jobs and slower growth.

There is bipartisan momentum in Congress to get permitting reform done in 2026. America needs a more efficient, more reliable permitting system to build the infrastructure that powers growth and keeps our industry competitive. This year, Congress can deliver the certainty manufacturers need to build faster, invest with confidence and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

We can’t power the factories of the future if we can’t build them.

Louisiana has long shown that energy production and environmental stewardship can coexist. With smart policy, a modern permitting system and predictable rules, that balance can endure.

Two centuries after Jefferson’s words, Louisiana continues to fuel America’s future through energy, manufacturing and innovation.

When Louisiana’s energy and manufacturing sectors thrive, America wins.

Gov. Jeff Landry signed an executive order Thursday while flanked by Louisiana utility company executives saying that data center projects must have their benefits to citizens “evaluated and balanced” against their use of electric generation, water and land.

Landry named the order the “Ratepayer and Community Protection Framework for Large Load Investments,” assigning the Louisiana Economic Development Office to ensure that future projects “adequately protect Louisiana’s resources, ratepayers, and communities,” according to the text of the order.

“These resources are vital to the welfare of our citizens and to the future of our economy, and that is why our approach demands thoughtful and responsible stewardship,” Landry said.

The order comes on the heels of questions around Entergy’s plans to purchase a $1.8 billion power plant in Texas, which a consultant for the state’s Public Service Commission said is largely needed for Meta’s north Louisiana data center.

The gas-fired Cottonwood plant would cost average residential ratepayers $8 a month, records show. Entergy and Meta have disputed that it’s needed for the data center.

Landry last week expressed concerns about the plant in a social media post responding to coverage from The Times-Picayune | The Advocate. He said Entergy promised him Meta would not pass along costs to customers.

“The PSC should not allow anyone to take advantage of power markets at the expense of our ratepayers,” he said last week.

On Thursday, though, Landry punted taking a position on the plant to the Public Service Commission, which he dinged as “somewhat dormant” for the past 50 years. Landry also repeatedly defended data centers, saying they are vital for Louisiana’s future.

“I don’t get a vote,” he said. “That’s a decision for the public service (commission) and that’s something for them and Entergy to work out.”

The Public Service Commission’s five-member elected body has the ultimate authority over whether to approve the purchase.

The consultant, Lane Sisung, who regularly analyzes utilities’ proposals for the commission, raised other concerns about the plant as well. The plant’s private equity owners bought it a few years ago for far less than what Entergy plans to pay for it. It’s also 22 years old and has had reliability issues that would require Entergy to spend hundreds of millions more on improving it, the report said.

Entergy President and CEO Phillip May attended the press conference Thursday but did not speak at it. In a statement Entergy released afterward, the utility defended the Cottonwood plant.

“The Cottonwood generating facility is needed to support broader customer growth across Louisiana and deactivation of legacy units that have been serving all customers for over five decades, and it has been part of Entergy Louisiana’s supply plan before Meta was a potential customer,” the statement from Entergy said.

“Despite reports to the contrary, through its contract term, Meta is fully supporting and funding the construction of 7.5 gigawatts of new, highly efficient natural gas generation, along with additional solar and battery resources and purchase capacity,” the utility said.

A Meta spokesperson, Francis Brennan, described the consultant’s report as “inaccurate speculation” in a statement last week. He pushed back against claims that ratepayers picking up the tab for the Cottonwood plant would violate a White House pledge from the spring, in which tech companies agreed to pay for their own data center power needs.

“Meta pays its own way, both for the power and new infrastructure we use,” Brennan said. “Our agreement with Entergy is built to guarantee we pay those costs, not Louisianans.”

Concerns about the plant in southeast Texas have come from both state Republicans and Democrats.

PSC member Davante Lewis, a Democrat who represents Baton Rouge and New Orleans, held his own press conference after Landry’s on Thursday afternoon. He said that while he agrees with Landry’s contention that data centers should bear their own costs, Landry’s actions have differed.

Lewis noted that while Landry spoke of transparency and accountability, he’s also signed nondisclosure agreements related to Meta’s data center.

“When he says we are committed to making sure these energy-intensive organizations are paying their own costs, that’s simply not true,” Lewis said.

PSC member Eric Skrmetta, a Metairie Republican who has supported data center projects, said last week that he does not plan to approve the plant’s purchase unless Meta pays for it. He described the sale price as “taking advantage of the moment.”

Mike Francis, another Republican commission member who represents Crowley, said in an interview this week that he generally trusts Sisung.

“If that’s his opinion, I’m going to be inclined to go with it,” Francis said. “But I haven’t seen all the details yet.”

State Sen. Bob Hensgens, a Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, recently warned Francis in a letter about data centers’ potential impact on customers’ electric bills. Hensgens, who represents Abbeville, asked the commission to consider “stronger safeguards” to protect residential and small commercial ratepayers from bearing power costs for data centers.

This is a developing story. Check back later for more.