Business briefs

Baton Rouge redevelopment agency to seek $3M
BATON ROUGE (AP) — The East Baton Rouge Redevelopment Authority plans to ask the Metro Council for $3 million in annual funding to keep the organization running. But Mayor-President Kip Holden charged the organization with “bullying” him and the council for money.
Officials with the RDA, a public agency responsible for reviving blighted areas in Baton Rouge, said Monday that along with seeking funds from city-parish coffers, they will look for private donations in order to stay in business.
If the Metro Council follows Holden’s lead and declines to give public money for the RDA, the organization plans to pursue a dedicated tax.
Executive director Walter Monsour said the organization is seeking to boost its annual funding to $3 million, which would be split between operational and program costs.

U.S. rig count
up 8 to 1,930
HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by eight this week to 1,930.
The Houston firm said Friday in its weekly report that 1,609 rigs were exploring for oil and 320 for gas. One was listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,743 active rigs.
Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, New Mexico gained three rigs, Ohio, West Virginia and Wyoming each increased by two and Kansas, Texas and Utah each gained one.
North Dakota lost seven rigs, Louisiana and Pennsylvania each decreased by two and Arkansas, California and Oklahoma each lost one.
Alaska and Colorado were unchanged.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.

New methanol plant planned
BELLE CHASSE (AP) — State officials have announced that Castleton Commodities International LLC plans a $1.2 billion methanol manufacturing plant in Plaquemines Parish.
Gov. Bobby Jindal, the state economic development office, and the company’s CEO said in news releases Friday that the project will create 50 jobs with an average annual salary of about $72,000. There also will be 1,000 construction jobs.
Castleton expects to begin construction in 2016. The plant is planned for the Braithwaite area along the Mississippi River.
“The project location situated along the Mississippi River near New Orleans makes the site ideal for use in multiple projects,” Castleton Commodities’ CEO William C. Reed II said.
State incentives include tax breaks through the state’s Quality Jobs and Industrial Tax Exemption programs, and training of workers through the Louisiana Economic Development agency’s “Faststart” program. The agency said it began working with the corporation on plans for a potential project in the state in September 2013.
“We’re proud that CCI is now joining the impressive list of important global investors who are choosing to invest their capital and create the jobs of the future right here in Louisiana,” Jindal said.
Castleton Commodities International is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.

Omega Protein awarded for sustainability effort
The following was originally released by Friend of the Sea on Oct. 13, according to a news release from Omega Protein.
After an extensive auditing process, Omega Protein has achieved recertification by Friend of the Sea for sustainable fish meal and fish oil derived from Gulf menhaden caught in the Gulf of Mexico.
Omega Protein already holds the certification for sustainable Atlantic menhaden.
The company — one of the world’s largest producers of omega-3 fish oil — has demonstrated that it meets Friend of the Sea’s rigorous criteria for sustainable purse seiners, which includes selective fishing methods and sources from non-overexploited stocks, the news release stated. The discard rate is zero, and by-catch is minimal, thanks to a system aboard its vessels that allows larger, non-targeted fish to easily escape during the loading phase, the company stated.
A full traceability system is in place throughout the company-owned supply chain, from fishery to production facility and finished product manufacturing, the company stated. This guarantees that no mixing between approved and non-approved sources occurs, it stated.
“Sustainability is a core value at Omega Protein and this practice has allowed us to prosper for over a century. We are pleased that both of our Gulf and Atlantic menhaden fisheries have been recognized as sustainable by Friend of the Sea,” states Bret Scholtes, president and CEO of Omega Protein. “Friend of the Sea’s certification further emphasizes Omega Protein’s marine conservation and environmental protection efforts.”