Cheap and abundant domestic oil
The oil and gas industry is continuing to alter the landscape of Orange County and is expected to create a boon to commercial businesses, according to county leaders.
A $100 million expansion project at DuPont's Sabine River Works plant in West Orange is already under way and other companies have announced plans for new construction.
Bobby Fillyaw, executive director of the Orange County Economic Development Corp., attributes the boom to a reviving American economy fueled by cheap and abundant domestic oil and natural gas.
"The oil and gas industry is playing a big role in what's going on along the Gulf Coast," he said.
For a few years, Orange County seemed to have been left out of local industrial expansions that came as a result of a boom in energy development from South Texas to the northern Plains states.
DuPont recently joined in the investment growth already happening at Jefferson County's Cheniere Energy, Total Port Arthur Refinery, Motiva Port Arthur Refinery, Valero Energy's Port Arthur Refinery, Huntsman Corp. and others.