Cassidy applauds home-state support

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) on Jan. 19 commended both corporate and legislative actions that stand to benefit his home state of Louisiana.

For instance, Exxon Mobil Corp. last month started production at a new polypropylene unit at its Baton Rouge, La., refining and petrochemical complex. 

“People here are proud of this facility,” Sen. Cassidy said during the Jan. 19 start-up event for the new polypropylene production unit at the publicly traded company’s Baton Rouge Polyolefins Plant. “It supports 65 new, direct jobs and over $400 million was spent building it, with over 650 jobs along the way.” 

The ExxonMobil project, which expands its polypropylene production capacity by up to 450,000 tons per year, also employed 650 workers to construct it.

“It will be used to create durable plastics for car and appliance parts, food packaging, and personal care items,” said Sen. Cassidy. “Their products are sturdy, environmentally friendly, and made in America. It gives hope and opportunity to people in our state.”

A total of $448 million was invested in the new facilities with Louisiana businesses receiving $210 million, according to the congressman’s staff, which said Baton Rouge collected an estimated $20 million in new, local sales tax revenue, and will receive an estimated $21 million in property tax revenue through 2040.

“We appreciate and value Senator Cassidy’s attendance today as ExxonMobil celebrates the start-up of our Polypropylene Growth Project,” said Jonathan Morgan, Baton Rouge polyolefins plant manager, during the event. “We appreciate Senator Cassidy’s strong support of our energy industry. His engagement along with state and local leadership is especially important as ExxonMobil considers future Louisiana investment to meet global demand for new projects, reduce emissions and embrace the energy transition.”

Earlier the same day, Sen. Cassidy also visited the Zachary (La.) Rotary Club, where he discussed how the federally enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is helping address flood control and transportation needs in the region.

“Zachary is a great community and can get even better,” Sen. Cassidy said. “We talked about how the infrastructure bill can help Zachary and the communities around it with flooding, transportation, and along the way creating better jobs.

“If we do this, Zachary’s future is even brighter,” he added.

Sen. Cassidy was welcomed to the club’s meeting by David Gomez, president of the Zachary Rotary Club, who thanked Sen. Cassidy for his service to the community. “His commitment to Zachary is appreciated,” he said.