In Caldwell Parish, we don’t shy away from hard truths. It’s easy to say “no” to new ideas; it’s harder to bring forward a real solution. Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF) is a solution born here, at the request of parish leadership, to meet real challenges with local jobs, private investment, and reliable, clean power, right where we live and work. And as important as this project is to the parish, it is also important that the facts are shared, that we are transparent and that no one is confused by outsiders about the great value this project can bring to all residents of Caldwell Parish.
Where Caldwell Parish Stands Today
Caldwell Parish has been losing people and jobs for more than a decade. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, the parish population declined by 503 residents (from 10,148 to 9,645), with an additional 261 residents lost since then. Employment has fallen by 1,303 people between October 2007 and November 2025 (from 4,449 to 3,146). A shrinking population and workforce reduce the local tax base, strain public services, and weaken the business climate. Long‑standing employers have closed, the Town of Columbia has lost retail options, and the public high school has been reclassified to a lower student population and now faces annual operating deficits. Without new industrial investment, these trends are likely to continue.
Why LGF was Invited to Caldwell Parish & How CCS Helps the Parish Compete
In 2020, recognizing the need to change course, the Caldwell Parish Industrial Development Board (CPIDB) asked LGF to expand its site selection to include Caldwell Parish. Initially, LGF’s focus was on the I‑20 corridor with larger workforces available, better access to transportation resources, and more resources for economic development. The CPIDB made the case that locally tailored incentives could offset those disadvantages and that hosting a CCS‑enabled project would help Caldwell Parish distinguish itself in a competitive regional market for industrial investment.
What LGF is Designed to Deliver
Private investment and jobs. LGF’s Phase 1 renewable‑power plant with CCS represents approximately $2 billion in private investment. It is planned to create 79 permanent jobs with average annual pay of about $80,000, plus hundreds of indirect jobs in retail, services, and professional trades, and hundreds more regional supply‑chain jobs (e.g., logging, equipment, maintenance, inspection). Construction will require an estimated 600 jobs during the buildout period.
LGF Jobs at a Glance (direct permanent roles)
Local operations, community benefits. LGF keeps everything inside Caldwell Parish—power production, carbon capture, and carbon storage—so there’s no need for long‑distance CO2 pipelines, and the jobs, supplier spending, and expanded tax base stay local. The facility will deliver reliable, carbon‑neutral power to the Louisiana grid while self‑supplying capture and storage needs, keeping both the responsibility and the rewards here at home. Additionally, steady demand for forestry byproducts and thinnings provides a dependable outlet for local timber, trucking, and equipment services, helping support the northern Louisiana logging sector and circulating more project dollars through Caldwell Parish businesses.
Broader growth effects. The presence of a permitted, well‑characterized sequestration reservoir can attract additional industrial projects, because access to proven storage capacity is a prerequisite for many manufacturers seeking low‑carbon operations. LGF has already hosted one prospective third party exploring co‑location. Each additional project brings new payrolls, supplier demand, and a wider tax base —reducing the burden on a declining population to fund local services. In short, everyone benefits when more value is created locally.
This project is a private‑sector solution designed to fit our parish, bringing new payrolls and investment while respecting taxpayers. As permanent roles, construction work, and supplier activity build, jobs and the tax base will grow together, supporting local services in a sustainable way. And with permitted CCS capacity on site, Caldwell Parish has a real advantage for the next company that requires verified low‑carbon operations. At Louisiana Green Fuels, our door is always open. We encourage you to come by, ask questions, and judge us by the outcomes we deliver: steady jobs, dependable power, and dollars that stay local. We are a part of this community—honoring its past, visible and working in the present, and looking forward to the bright future it can have in the years and decades ahead.