Supporting hand: A spokesman for Gov. John Bel Edwards says the Democrat governor told some Louisiana Public Service Commission members that he is supportive of a new proposal a group of foreign investors has offered in an attempt to buy Cleco Corp. The Associated Press reports that Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo says the governor’s chief of staff, Ben Nevers, met with Cleco and officials from Australian-based Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets to discuss the potential sale of the Pineville-based utility company to a group of foreign investors. Edwards briefly joined the meeting and said the buyers’ latest proposal has addressed some of his initial concerns. The investors wanted to purchase Cleco for $4.9 billion, but the Public Service Commission rejected the sale on Feb. 24. The commission postponed making a decision on whether to reconsider their rejection until Monday. Read the full story.
New standards: Members of the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors met in DeRidder on Tuesday to discuss regulation changes that will require subcontractors in specific specialties to be licensed. The American Press reports that Ronnie Reich, a building inspector in Beauregard Parish, says the board is requiring licenses for subcontractors doing residential work in pile driving, foundation work, framing, roofing, masonry and stucco work, and swimming pools. “The board is hoping that this will eliminate subcontractors who come along and offer their services for a low price, but then leave the homeowner liable for shoddy work that was done,” Reich says. Read the full story.
No holdup: Federal officials say they carried out a sale of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases in New Orleans today despite protests from environmental groups. The Associated Press reports dozens of environmental protesters shouting “shut it down” showed up this morning to protest the sale of leases for roughly 45 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil and gas companies have submitted bids for the right to explore and develop oil and natural gas deposits in the central and eastern Gulf. Protesters chanted loudly as officials read the bids aloud as a room of mostly oil and gas company employees and executives looked on. Janice Schneider, assistant secretary at the Department of Interior, says the sum of the high bids received for the central section was $156 million. No bids were received for the eastern section. The protest was of no concern, she says. Read the full story.
