GNO, Inc. Sunday Night Highlight – Louisiana Wins Gold and Green

For the second year in a row, Louisiana has earned both the Gold and Green Shovel Awards from Area Developmentmagazine, a rare double-nod that places the state among the national leaders in job creation, capital investment, and climate-forward economic strategy.

The Gold Shovel Award recognizes states that deliver high-impact projects across diverse industries. In 2024, Louisiana attracted more than $15 billion in new investment, driven by a mix of future energy, digital infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, including:

• Meta committed $10 billion to a new data center in Northeast Louisiana — one of the largest in the country
• Lake Charles Methanol and Woodlands Biofuels are investing nearly $4.6 billion in climate-aligned fuel production
• UBE added advanced manufacturing capacity for electric batteries in Jefferson Parish

The Green Shovel honors leadership in sustainable development. Louisiana’s award-winning portfolio includes:

• Two direct air capture hubs, led by Heirloom Carbon Technologies and Climeworks
• Low-carbon fuels, including biorefinery investment in Reserve
• Carbon capture deployment across multiple industrial corridors

Each year, Area Development evaluates state-submitted data based on job creation, investment totals, industrial diversity, and long-term strategy. Louisiana earned its Gold Shovel in the 3–5 million population category, the only state recognized with the award in this population tier, and ahead of Utah and Kentucky who took home Silver Shovels in the same category.

You can read more here.