In Episode 5 of FUELED Season 6, Kathryn Fenstermaker sits down with Susan Bourgeois, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development, for a conversation about the relationship between power, economic growth, and Louisiana’s ability to compete for the industries shaping the next generation of the American economy. Bourgeois begins with her determination to change both the reality and the narrative of opportunity in Louisiana. She describes accepting the role at LED with a mandate to transform a system that was not delivering the outcomes the state deserved and building a culture designed to move from “no, but” to “yes, and.” That means making the experience of doing business in Louisiana faster, more coordinated, more service-oriented, and more confident in what the state can offer. That vision quickly converges with energy. Bourgeois explains that access to reliable, abundant electricity now enters major recruitment conversations earlier than ever. Louisiana’s natural gas resources, extensive pipeline network, experienced energy workforce, industrial infrastructure, regulatory environment, and pro-growth posture have become increasingly important advantages as companies pursue large-scale projects with significant power demands. Workforce is another central piece of that equation. Bourgeois describes Louisiana’s people, work ethic, industrial experience, and culture as assets companies repeatedly recognize, while emphasizing the need to expand the skilled-worker pipeline through Louisiana Works, K–12 education, two-year institutions, higher education, and private-sector coordination. Winning major investments matters only if Louisiana can deliver the workforce and systems those projects require. The conversation also explores the state’s “whole-of-Louisiana” approach to economic development. Bourgeois points to the Meta project as an example of state agencies, Entergy, regional and local partners, regulators, and other institutions working in parallel rather than sequence. The model is designed to reduce friction, accelerate decisions, and connect companies directly with the agencies responsible for permitting, transportation, regulation, power, and other project-critical needs. Bourgeois is equally direct about the responsibilities that come with large-load growth. She discusses protecting existing ratepayers, ensuring new investment bears the costs it creates, strengthening the electric grid, and pursuing an all-of-the-above energy strategy that can include natural gas, LNG, nuclear, and other generation resources. The focus, she argues, should remain on delivering reliable and affordable power rather than relying on any single technology. As the discussion turns to artificial intelligence, infrastructure, permitting, and regulation, speed becomes a defining theme. Bourgeois describes efforts to align LED, the Louisiana Public Service Commission, DEQ, transportation officials, utilities, and other partners so major projects can move with urgency while maintaining the state’s public responsibilities. At its heart, the episode is about translating economic development into everyday opportunity. Bourgeois connects reliable, affordable energy to jobs, wages, benefits, private investment, stronger communities, and the ability for people to build a life in Louisiana. Her long-term measure of success is not a temporary surge of announcements, but making unprecedented investment the new normal. And when asked what fuels her, the answer is simple: the wins—not for the headline, but for their ability to change people’s lives.
