Roundup: Workforce development / Tariffs / Argent LNG

Pell Grants: Low-income students in Louisiana will soon be able to receive federal Pell Grants to take part in short-term workforce training programs. The grants were once exclusively available for those attending four-year schools, but the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expanded availability to include workforce training. Louisiana students will have access to grants averaging $2,200. Qualifying programs include carpentry, construction, plumbing and HVAC programs. Louisiana Illuminator has the full story.

New day, new tariffs: Just before President Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs were set to expire on Friday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced new tariffs on Thursday to replace them. The new tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, will affect 60 countries. Trump cited lax enforcement of a ban on the use of forced labor to produce goods as his reason for renewing the tariffs—an allegation some U.S. trading partners are vehemently rejecting. NPR has the full story.

Approval secured: The U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday issued an order authorizing Argent LNG to export 25 million metric tons per annum of LNG by vessel from its proposed terminal at Port Fourchon to all countries with which the U.S. has a Free Trade Agreement requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas and to any country with which the U.S. subsequently enters into such an agreement. Argent LNG says the authorization represents “the most significant regulatory milestone in Argent LNG’s development to date.” Read the DOE’s order.