Jindal: GM Won't Shut Down Shreveport Plant
by Mike Hasten - News Star (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE — While it's closing manufacturing plants in other parts of country, General Motors has pledged to continue operations in its Shreveport facility and possibly invest in a new line, Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday, shortly after meeting with GM officials.

"The good news is that at this time, they're not planning on" shutting down production, the governor said in a conference call from Detroit.

However, "the marketplace has changed dramatically for them," driven mostly by high fuel prices, so "GM is going to have to make strategic decisions on what kind of products to offer," Jindal said.

The governor said during their talks, he and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Stephen Moret spelled out things the state could offer to make it more attractive for GM to alter its Louisiana plant to produce other types of vehicles.

Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover and Caddo Parish Administrator Woody Wilson pledged city and parish support for the plant.