Louisiana nears SpaceX spaceport deal on Vermilion Parish Pecan Island

KPEL reports Louisiana is in the final stages of a deal that would bring SpaceX a rocket spaceport on an 18-mile stretch of coastal marsh at Pecan Island in Vermilion Parish, about 45 miles southwest of Lafayette. A source familiar with the agreement said the deal would give SpaceX control of about 130,000 acres by sale, long-term lease, or another arrangement, with Gov. Jeff Landry expected to announce it this month. The site sits in a coastal lawsuit settlement under which ExxonMobil is expected to turn over Vermilion Parish land it has held since the 1950s; Landry confirmed the settlement but declined to discuss SpaceX specifically, and SpaceX has not named Louisiana while saying it is scouting sites to expand Starship launches. KPEL said aerospace experts cite deep-water Intracoastal Waterway access, a midpoint between Texas and Florida facilities, and local natural gas. A source said the project would create thousands of jobs while using only a fraction of the acreage as a buffer. The report ties timing to an FAA proposal to let aerospace firms bypass 13 federal environmental laws in launch licensing, with public comment open through late August, and notes Louisiana earlier passed aerospace tax breaks and launch liability protections.