The center of the small town of Abbeville, La., near the Gulf of Mexico, was closed off to the public for a few hours last month to hold an invitation-only event. Executives, developers and politicians met in an event venue often used for weddings. There they watched an action-movie-style video depicting Elon Musk landing in a helicopter to a techno-music soundtrack.
Waiting for him was Republican Louisiana Gov. "I think Star Base is cool," Musk says in the film. "Star Base Louisiana." "I love it," Landry says.
"We can't wait to serve y'all the first pot of gumbo." Musk's SpaceX says it's building a 125,000-acre facility that could launch about 30 rockets per day — thousands per year. It's part of the company's plans to expand the Starlink satellite internet service and potentially power data centers in space. Louisiana Economic Development, a state agency, says the facility will include five launch complexes and housing for employees and their families.
In the video, Musk says the site will bring around 10,000 jobs to Louisiana. The announcement event wasn't the only exclusive part of the deal, which the state says brings $100 billion in investment. After the video, Landry took the stage and thanked state lawmakers, including some who signed nondisclosure agreements over negotiations for the deal.
The agreements, obtained in records requests by the Gulf States Newsroom, were under the codename, "Project Osprey." Reporting by the Gulf States Newsroom has revealed the widespread use of nondisclosure agreements under Landry around industrial development projects in Louisiana. Asked about transparency at the announcement, Landry said "corporate America" is competitive, and "they want an opportunity to be able to have discussions with elected officials and to ensure that policies meet their expectations." "You think I want Texas to steal my thunder? You think I want other states to know what we're working on?" Landry said.
"Quite frankly, that's what has continued to happen to Louisiana before I became governor." Landry also signed new laws exempting aerospace companies from property taxes, liability and nuisance claims related to noise, vibrations, heat exhaust and sonic booms and public records laws. SpaceX is covered in those exemptions. Records from Louisiana Economic Development show that in exchange for SpaceX paying the Vermilion Parish government about $25 million annually, the company avoids paying billions of dollars in property taxes over 25 years.
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