Governor

We've not immune to the national and international economy, but we have made progress in the last years, economically. The Frazer Institute in Canada says Mississippi is the best jurisdiction in the world to do energy projects, and billions of dollars of energy investments have been made here since 2003. Great existing industries like Chevron's Ref... inery; Entergy's Grand Gulf facility, and Mississippi Power, with its under-construction $1.4 billion Kemper County lignite-fired plant, have made capital investments above $4 billion; Gulf LNG, Denbury and a variety of pipeline companies have invested another $2 billion in our oil and gas infrastructure; and we've become a favorite for alternative energy companies like Kior's wood to motor fuel facilities, Twin Creeks and Stion's solar panel plants; Calisolar's polysilicon mill, to Solardigm's dynamic window plant and companies manufacturing for the energy industry like Schulz in Tunica. Last month Area Development, a site selection magazine, said Mississippi ranks ninth among all states as the best to locate businesses, and in the top five in several categories. Obviously, companies like Toyota, GE Aviation, Caterpillar, Cooper Tire, Severstal, American Eurocopter and Winchester have got site selectors attention. Importantly, we've had real success in the last several years in meeting our goal of replacing low-skill, low-paying jobs with higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs. The best evidence: In 2010 per capita income had risen thirty percent from 2003 levels, even though there are fewer people working than at the peak. We won't know the 2011 figures until next year, but with the opening of Toyota and its suppliers and several other big manufacturers, I'm confident per capita income will again rise in '11. Having relayed all that recent good news about Mississippi's economic circumstances, I have to tell you there are clouds on the horizon that must be addressed sooner rather than later. And success in education will be a major part of the answer. We have too much ...Read More