These Louisiana officials signed NDAs for new SpaceX project

Key Points:

• Dozens of Louisiana state officials, companies, and consultants signed nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to keep details secret about SpaceX’s planned $100 billion Vermilion Parish spaceport, known as "Project Osprey," until its announcement.
• The NDAs involved multiple state agencies, including Louisiana Economic Development (LED), Department of Transportation, and Public Service Commission, as well as several lawmakers and local officials, restricting disclosure of project information in any public forum.
• Governor Jeff Landry defended the use of NDAs as necessary to protect negotiations from competing states and meet company expectations, emphasizing the potential creation of 3,000 permanent jobs and the spaceport’s significance.
• Transparency advocates expressed concern over the extensive use of NDAs in government economic development deals, highlighting tensions between confidentiality and the public’s right to know, especially given the scale and public investment involved.
• Local officials, including Vermilion Parish Police Jury President Chad Vallo, supported the NDAs as common practice and maintained that the public was informed appropriately after the announcement, dismissing calls for earlier public input sessions.