U.S. Commerce Department Funds Grant for Unmanned Aircraft Center at Houma Airport

HOUMA – Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards joined Assistant Secretary John Fleming of the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove and Houma-Terrebonne Airport officials to announce a $1.35 million airport infrastructure grant from the EDA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The grant will fund taxiway, access road, ramp and utility improvements for an undeveloped 10-acre parcel at the Houma-Terrebonne Airport, which will establish a Gulf of Mexico Center of Excellence for Large-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or L-UAS. Gov. Edwards signed an executive order at the event designating the airport as Louisiana’s L-UAS site with the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. Future improvements will include a new 40,000-square-foot hangar that will house automated navigation systems for unmanned aircraft flying the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas, hurricane reconnaissance, coastal protection, homeland security, research and military missions.

“We are most excited by this announcement for its potential to provide new value for our oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico and along our coast,” Gov. Edwards said. “Louisiana has long been a leader in subsea technology in the offshore energy industry. Now, we will be at the cutting-edge of aerial technology. By joining our education, government and private-sector partners, we can make Louisiana a true leader in unmanned aircraft technology to tackle many of our biggest challenges in the energy, security and military sectors.”

At full development, the L-UAS Center of Excellence will create 150 new jobs, retain 70 jobs and generate $50 million in new private investment, according to EDA estimates. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in an additional 191 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 340 jobs in the Bayou Region.

Wednesday’s event took place at the super-base hangar of helicopter transport company, ERA Group Inc., which will additionally provide nearby temporary space for the new unmanned aircraft center. Fueled by the energy sector, the Houma-Terrebonne Airport ranks No. 1 in the world for the total number of helicopter flights per year.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said, “The Trump Administration is working diligently to empower innovators who fuel job creation in communities across the nation. Having UAS operations on airport facilities in the Gulf Coast will help attract new businesses to the area and generate significant economic activity for the state of Louisiana.”

Also at the event, Louisiana Tech University’s Dr. Sumeet Dua, who oversees research and partnerships for the Ruston school, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with airport commission Secretary-Treasurer Joshua Alford to establish Louisiana Tech’s Department of Professional Aviation as a formal flight training and operations partner at the L-UAS Center of Excellence.

Similar MOUs are in place with Fletcher Technical Community College to train avionics, sensor and logistics technicians, along with airframe, powerplant and ground equipment mechanics; and with Nicholls State University to provide Big Data analytics, integration of high-speed, real-time sensors, and development of automated platforms for unmanned aircraft.

“The Houma-Terrebonne Airport looks forward to participating in the development of this new dimension in air service for the local area and the Gulf of Mexico,” said Secretary-Treasurer Joshua Alford of the Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission. “There are many missions that can be served by highly automated, optionally piloted, and fully autonomous unmanned aircraft, and the Houma-Terrebonne Airport is excited to be in the forefront of this technological advancement.”

The South Central Planning and Development Commission, based in Gray, Louisiana, guided regional efforts to secure the EDA grant, along with the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority and Terrebonne Parish officials.

“It is imperative for Terrebonne Parish and Louisiana to move to the future of unmanned aircraft,” Parish President Gordon Dove said. “This will be a major economic tool for offshore and onshore transportation of goods and services to meet the ever-increasing demands of delivery at an economic price.”

Along with other utilities and infrastructure work, the grant will fund the installation of high-performance data lines connected to LONI, the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative for supercomputing applications. Unmanned helicopters and unmanned fixed-wing aircraft will be monitored and controlled from the new 40,000-square-foot hangar, which will be equipped with highly automated, artificial intelligence systems.

The $1.35 million EDA grant will be matched by $337,500 in local funds, chiefly from the Houma-Terrebonne Airport Commission, and the airport is pursuing additional funding solutions with the State of Louisiana’s Department of Transportation and Development; with the FAA; and with private-sector partners. In addition to Era Helicopters, private partners include Aurora Flight Sciences LLC, 2SF LLC, COTS Technology LLC and The Advocacy Partners LLC.

Airport officials estimate the L-UAS Center of Excellence hangar could be in place within two years.

KADN.com

Houma airport receives $1.3M federal grant for unmanned aircraft

The Houma-Terrebonne Airport received a $1.3 million grant from the federal government

today to advance its unmanned aviation system.

The airport commission has been working for over a year to develop the modern aircraft

system through public-private partnerships as a way to diversify and support the local

economy. The $2.3 million project includes building a new 40,000-square-foot hangar, access

road and taxiway.

The unmanned aircraft are expected to provide new services to the oil and gas industry before

developing into new fields. The airport’s close proximity to the Intracoastal Waterway and

access to the Gulf of Mexico has been billed as one of its strongest advantages to develop the

new technology.

“We are most excited by this announcement for its potential to provide new value for our oil

and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico and along our coast,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a

news release.“Louisiana has long been a leader in subsea technology in the offshore energy

industry. Now, we will be at the cutting-edge of aerial technology. By joining our education,

government and private-sector partners, we can make Louisiana a true leader in unmanned

aircraft technology to tackle many of our biggest challenges in the energy, security and military

sectors.”

The program is in conjunction with Terrebonne Economic Development Authority, Nicholls

State University, Fletcher Technical Community College and private companies and is being

called the Gulf of Mexico UAS Center of Excellence, or UGC.

The governor also signed an executive order commissioning the Center of Excellence at a

ceremony held at the airport today.

Houma airport receives $1.3M federal grant for

unmanned aircraft

“This really is what the future should look like,” Edwards said, noting the aircraft’s capabilities

for coastal safety and protection, including the ability to detect oil spills and weather events.

“What a unique opportunity for Terrebonne Parish,” Parish President Gordy Dove said. “This

is really the wave of the future.”

“It’s so good for Terrebonne Parish to be a step up on technology. It’s a testimony to

Terrebonne Parish’s willingness to go into other industries and be the first one out there,”

Dove said.

The grant was awarded by the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development

Administration through efforts by the South Central Planning and Development Commission.

It also requires a $337,500 local match. The airport commission previously set aside $200,000

for the project.

The project is expected to create and retain a total of 220 jobs and generate $50 million in

private investments, according to the Commerce Department.

“Having UAS operations on airport facilities in the Gulf Coast will help attract new businesses

to the area and generate significant economic activity for the state of Louisiana,” Secretary of

Commerce Wilbur Ross said.

The new Airport Commission Director Mert Pellegrin announced the pending grant upon his

arrival in May.

The unmanned aircraft program plans to begin remotely operating cargo operations by 2020,

with fully autonomous aircraft coming to the region by 2025.

Fletcher also announced last week that its first drone workshop is expected to begin in July or

August.

“A UAS facility at the Houma-Terrebonne Airport will facilitate the deployment of drones in

the region, a valuable resource for oil and gas development and other industries, and support

drone research at Nicholls State University,” said U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

“This is a huge win for Terrebonne Parish after a tough downturn in the oil industry,” said

U.S. Sen John Kennedy, R-La. “Investments like this encourage technological developments

and create jobs.”

“With the addition of an Unmanned Aviation System facility, the Houma-Terrebonne Airport

will soon be at the forefront of this new transportation technology and capability,” said

Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who represents southern Terrebonne and Lafourche

parishes.

Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 or julia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her

on Twitter at @JuliaArenstam.

Our opinion: Diversifying Economy is Difficult but Worthwhile

Efforts to diversify the local economy – shifting its overwhelming focus from oil and gas to other, varied industries – have proven largely futile.

But there is every reason to continue this worthwhile, long-term goal that would remove some local workers’ dependency on a mostly robust but cyclical industry.

The oil and gas slowdown that has cost so many thousands of local workers their jobs is yet another reminder that no matter how lucrative oil and gas can be, depending too much on any one sector of the economy holds certain risks.

So it’s good to see the push for diversification continuing.

“Take a sector with an existing strength and within that identify a specialty. If you invest heavily into technology, you end up with a new specialty within that industry,” Terrebonne Economic Development Authority CEO Matt Rookard said. “Then you can look at applying that to other industries.”

He used as an example an attempt to use the Houma-Terrebonne Airport as a hub for unmanned aircraft, which could eventually expand into use in coastal restoration or storm damage assessment.

“These things don’t exist as we sit here today, but if you can deploy that technology, there’s opportunity to create them,” Rookard said.

Although it’s a good example, it is but one way TEDA and others are trying to open up the local economy to new companies and ventures that might eventually produce the kind of diversity other areas enjoy.

While the oil and gas industry has been a valuable local partner for workers and businesses, having all the region’s eggs in one industrial basket makes us more vulnerable to the fluctuations in that market.

The more our area can cultivate other industries, the better we can insulate ourselves against the slowdowns that are inevitable in every portion of the economy.

We have proven time and again that our workers and our local companies are incredibly useful to the oilfield industry. These same workers and others would contribute mightily to any industry in which they have training and education and in which there are employment opportunities available.

We don’t lose anything by trying to grow more and different opportunities for our workers and the many others who rely on the local economy. But failing to do so would be a terrible lack of planning and preparation.

Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.

DailyComet.com

Efforts to Diversify Economy Continue

One effort focuses on making the Houma-Terrebonne Airport a hub for unmanned aircraft.

Recent studies have shown that for Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes to boost their economies, they should diversify their economies so they are less reliant on the oil industry.

But complete diversification isn’t going to happen overnight, Terrebonne Economic Development Authority CEO Matt Rookard said.

TEDA hired Garner Economics to study the local economy in 2016. The report suggests one resource with potential is the Houma-Terrebonne Airport.

As a result, TEDA is partnering with Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever and the airport to bring an unmanned aviation system to Terrebonne Parish.

TEDA is working to create a public-private partnership for research and development on how to bring this new technology to the parish, Rookard said.

Contrary to the popular concept of smaller, almost-hand-held-size drones, these unmanned aircraft are more like full-size helicopters without pilots, he said.

This kind of technology is mainly used for military purposes but has applications in commercial industries like oil and gas.

Once formed, the public-private partnership will seek research dollars to fund the program.

“Take a sector with an existing strength and within that identify a specialty. If you invest heavily into technology, you end up with a new specialty within that industry,” Rookard said. “Then you can look at applying that to other industries.”

Terrebonne’s existing strength is the oil industry, specializing in logistics. By investing heavily into unmanned aviation systems that can be used in that field, the technology can later expand into other industries, such as coastal restoration, Rookard said. Insurance companies can use unmanned aircraft to assess damage after storms.

“These things don’t exist as we sit here today, but if you can deploy that technology, there’s opportunity to create them,” he said.

In December, representatives of TEDA, Nicholls, Fletcher and the airport traveled to the University of North Dakota to get an inside look at its unmanned aircraft program and explore a possible partnership, Rookard said.

Right now, the group is looking for funding.

The airport has committed some funds to make infrastructure upgrades but in order to get approval from the Federal Aviation Authority, more work is needed.

TEDA has also been working on scholarship programs for minority-owned contracting businesses to receive accreditation training to compete for local construction jobs.

“A lot of these contracts go to the same people over and over because there’s only so many qualified companies,” Rookard said.

The agency is also working with the Entergy workforce-development program to train students for jobs utility companies are looking to fill.

TEDA will present other diversification and economic-development plans later this month to the Terrebonne Parish Council, Rookard said. He declined to comment on specifics.

-- Staff Writer Julia Arenstam can be reached at 448-7636 orjulia.arenstam@houmatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @gingerale214.