With Louisiana aiming to reclaim its position as a thriving hub for industrial development amid new administrative changes, The Louisiana Industrial Insights Hub by Liskow provides a centralized resource to help companies navigate the evolving regulatory landscape, secure strategic deals, and drive projects to successful completion.
Latest Updates
4/7/2025: LDR Clarifies Sales and Use Tax Treatment for the Rental of Equipment with an Operator
On April 3, 2025, the Louisiana Department of Revenue published Revenue Information Bulletin No. 25-013 clarifying the proper sales and use tax treatment for rentals of cranes and other equipment with operators. Under Act 11 of the Third Extraordinary Session of 2024, the Louisiana Legislature repealed the statutory sales and use tax exclusion for the lease or rental of cranes and related equipment with operators. However, R.I.B. No. 25-013 makes clear that this repeal does not mean that all leases of cranes and other related equipment are taxable. The lease or rental of a crane and related equipment with an operator will be treated the same as other rentals of tangible personal property with operators for sales and use tax purposes.
Read the full update on the Gulf Coast Business Law Blog here.
4/4/2025: CCS Update: Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC Receives Draft Permit for Class VI Well in Cameron Parish
On April 3, 2025, the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (LDENR), Office of Conservation, issued a Draft Permit prepared by the Injection and Mining Division for Hackberry Carbon Sequestration, LLC (HCS) to drill, construct, and operate a Class VI injection well for geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (See ORDER NO. IMD 2025-04 GS). The draft permit is the first issued by LDENR since the agency was granted primacy over the Class VI permitting program.
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
3/25/2025: EPA to Reconsider Previous Administration’s PM 2.5 NAAQS, Continuing its Deregulatory Push
On March 12, 2025, EPA Administrator Zeldin announced that the agency, as one of its 31 historic deregulatory actions to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback,” will reconsider the previous administration’s rule tightening the Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM2.5 NAAQS). The PM2.5 NAAQS rule has raised implementation concerns from various states across the country, including Louisiana, and has been the subject of litigation in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit).
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog.
3/21/2025: Louisiana Tax Law Restructuring Gets Green Light from Supreme Court for Voter Approval
On Tuesday, the Louisiana Supreme Court rejected an attempt to block a constitutional amendment needed to complete the restructuring of the state’s tax laws sought by Gov. Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature. The Court allowed to move forward a statewide vote on a package of changes to the state’s tax laws by dismissing a case challenging how the reforms were presented to voters.
Among other substantive changes, the amendment would move some property tax exemptions and provisions out of the constitution to state law, making it easier for lawmakers to change them without returning to voters for approval. It also would toughen the requirements for legislative passage of a new property tax break and change the rules governing property tax charges on a business’ inventory. Any change to a property tax exemption in state law would require support from two-thirds of the House and Senate.
Language setting up the Industrial Tax Exemption Program would be removed from the constitution – the program would be established in a corresponding law instead.
Additionally, the amendment aims to lessen a parish’s charging of property taxes on business inventory. It would offer parishes a one-time payment if they choose to irrevocably exempt businesses from property taxes on their inventory. The payment would come from the remaining balance of the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund.
Under a corresponding bill that takes effect if the amendment is approved, the state would offer parishes a one-time payment up to $15 million if the sheriff, school board and parish governing authority decide to stop charging the inventory tax by July 2026. If a parish chooses to phase out the inventory tax over five years, the state would offer parishes a one time payment up to $10 million.
The payment would seek to replace three years of average inventory tax collections. Parishes that choose to keep the inventory tax could allow a partial exemption of the inventory tax to businesses by reducing the assessed value of the property. However, the Legislature would be prohibited from enacting any law that requires parishes to exempt business inventory from property taxes.
Read the full update on the Gulf Coast Business Law Blog.
3/17/2025: EPA Announces 31 Historic Actions Publicized as “Greatest Day of Deregulation Our Nation Has Seen”
On March 12, 2025, EPA Administrator Zeldin announced that the agency will undertake 31 deregulatory actions to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and EPA’s “Powering the Great American Comeback.”
See the full update and list of actions on The Energy Law Blog here.
3/14/2025: EPA and Army Corps Issue New Guidance for Implementing WOTUS Definition under Supreme Court’s Sackett Decision
On March 12, 2025, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a joint memorandum providing guidance to field staff on implementing the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) as it pertains to “adjacent wetlands.”1 The memorandum represents a new iteration of the decades-old debate on the extent of Clean Water Act (CWA) authority over wetlands adjacent to jurisdictional navigable WOTUS. The previous iteration took place under the Biden Administration after the Supreme Court announced a two-part test in Sackett v. EPA. There, the Supreme Court held that CWA authority over WOTUS extends only to wetlands when: (1) the adjacent body of water is a “relatively permanent body of water connected to traditional interstate navigable waters” and (2) the wetland has “a continuous surface connection with that water, making it difficult to determine where the water ends and the wetland begins.” The new guidance narrows the scope of WOTUS by clarifying the current administration’s interpretation of when a wetland has a “continuous surface connection.”
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
2/11/2025: President Trump Appoints Scott Mason IV as Region 6 EPA Administrator
On February 6, 2025, the Trump Administration announced the appointment of Scott Mason IV as regional EPA Administrator for Region 6. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Region 6 covers Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 Tribal Nations.
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
2/7/2025: NEPA Changes Slated Under President Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order
On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued the “Unleashing American Energy” Executive Order (“EO”) with the stated purpose of ensuring an abundant supply of affordable and reliable energy in the United States. The EO orders several agency actions aimed at eliminating undue burden on domestic energy development, including specific actions related to the implementation of the National Environmental Protection Act (“NEPA”).
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
1/30/2025: Senate Confirms Zeldin as EPA Administrator, President Trump’s EPA Begins to Take Shape
On January 29, 2025, the Senate voted to confirm former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as EPA Administrator. Zeldin is a 44-year-old attorney who represented New York’s 1st Congressional District from 2015-2023. During his congressional tenure, Zeldin was known for his experience in international affairs, and his nomination for EPA Administrator was unexpected due to his limited experience with environmental policy issues.
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
1/17/2025: Louisiana is “Open for Business,” but Projects Need to Proceed Carefully
On December 10, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump promised expedited permitting for energy and other construction projects worth more than $1 billion. While there have been no details of how this would practically look, it reflects the incoming administration’s focus on promoting industrial growth. This may make permitting on the federal level a quicker and easier process for industrial projects.
Read the full update on The Energy Law Blog here.
Industrial Project Development Resources
Liskow’s Industrial Project Development Team
Meet the Team
Liskow’s extensive legal experience with industrial projects in Louisiana positions the firm as a trusted advisor for national and regional property owners, investors, lenders, and developers. We provide comprehensive legal services tailored to the unique needs of project development, ensuring compliance with Louisiana’s regulatory and public record requirements. With unparalleled experience in real estate, environmental law, and regulatory compliance, Liskow’s proven experience and strategic approach make a pivotal difference in the success of projects across Louisiana.
Liskow works with clients in a systematic manner to handle project development, incentives, taxes, environmental/energy regulation and permitting, real estate, due diligence and acquisition, government relations, construction management, and labor and employment on an integrated basis.
Neil Abramson | State Economic Incentives and Lobbying
John Almy | Construction
Bob Angelico | State and Local Tax
Clare Bienvenu | Energy and Environmental Regulatory
Lou Buatt | Energy and Environmental Regulatory, State Economic Incentives
Kathleen Doody | Real Estate, Financing and Security Rights
J.P. Hebert | Utility Regulations
Shannon Holtzman | Construction
Greg Johnson | Energy and Environmental Regulatory
Paul Kitziger | Real Estate, Utility Regulations, Zoning and Land Use, Construction, Mineral Rights
Caroline Lafourcade | State and Local Tax
Tommy McGoey | Labor and Employment
Sean Toomey | White Collar Criminal Defense
Tyler Trew | Construction
Emily von Qualen | Energy and Environmental Regulatory
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