Lafayette Travel
Travel from Lafayette to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport just got faster and more comfortable. American Eagle announced it will fly 50-seat EMB-145 regional jets on all flights between Lafayette and Dallas/Fort Worth beginning June 1.
“We are excited that American Eagle has taken this opportunity to bring regional jet service to Dallas/Fort Worth to Acadiana. We appreciate the service American Eagle gave Lafayette Regional Airport in the past and look forward to continuing our strong relationship,” said Carroll B. Robichaux Jr., Chairman, Lafayette Airport Commission.
“This is just another positive sign that the economy of Acadiana remains strong and that the flying public recognizes the importance of flying Lafayette,” continued Robichaux.
“The Acadiana community has been very supportive of our service,” said Gary Foss, VP – Marketing and Planning for American Eagle. “We are confident that American will receive even more support from the community now that the service has been enhanced with jets.”
Recession? Dow Industrials
Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis will give its preliminary estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2008. The Federal Reserve is also meeting and could reduce interest rates for certain lendings. Many are questioning whether the US is currently in a recession and the report will be an indicator. Meanwhile, Dow industrials are up 109.51 points to 12,941.45 as of 10 a.m. CST
Amedisys
Amedisys, Inc. a home health nursing companies, today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008. The Company posted record financial performance for the quarter with net service revenue and net income increasing 38.7% and 24.1%, respectively, over the first quarter of 2007.
Crosstex
Crosstex Energy, L.P. today announced an agreement with Contango Operators, Inc. to process gas from Contango’s Mary Rose gas field discoveries that successfully tested deep-shelf plays in the Gulf of Mexico. The gas will be transported through an interstate natural gas pipeline to Crosstex’s Pelican plant near Patterson, Louisiana, from Contango’s production platform on Eugene Island Block 11.
Beginning in late April, the Pelican plant is scheduled to process up to 100 million cubic feet of gas per day (MMcf/d) as Contango initiates production from its Mary Rose-1 and -3 wells. As Contango develops the field, the company expects production could increase to as much as 250 MMcf/d. Crosstex’s Pelican plant currently is processing approximately 200 MMcf/d, and the facility has a designed capacity to process 600 MMcf/d.
“Crosstex’s assets in southern Louisiana provide us with a large-scale gas processing presence on the Gulf Coast. We are excited about this project and look forward to a long-term working relationship with Contango, a deep-shelf producer and new customer,” said Barry E. Davis, Crosstex President and Chief Executive Officer. “Pelican is just one of several Crosstex processing plants in Louisiana straddling segments of interstate pipelines that gather gas produced in the Gulf of Mexico. Consequently, we are well positioned to process offshore production headed for markets in the upper Midwest and northeastern U.S.”
Emergency Preparedness
The majority of U.S. companies have a formal, written plan for emergency preparedness, according to a report released today by The Conference Board. But a widely adopted certification standard for such plans does not exist yet.
Three-quarters of the 302 senior corporate executives surveyed in mid-2007 said that an emergency preparedness plan exists in their companies. The analysis was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as part of an ongoing research project to assess the effectiveness of security in American companies.
The survey sample was intended to reflect the characteristics of American businesses as defined by size and industry. The sample was divided into three strata: small business (companies with $5 million to $50 million in annual sales); mid-market ($50 million to $1 billion in sales); and enterprise ($1 billion or more in sales). Within these groups of companies, the survey polled executives with responsibility for security, business continuity, crisis management, and emergency response efforts.
A “voluntary” certification process for preparedness was adopted as part of the 2007 homeland security legislation (Public Law 110-53). The choice of standards that would permit certification under the law is currently under review. As this report goes to press, it is expected that several different standards may qualify for certification.
“Currently, the most significant finding is that none of the many standards proposed for certification has attained widespread usage in the private sector,” says Thomas Cavanagh, Senior Research Associate, Global Corporate Citizenship, The Conference Board.
The most common standard is the ISO 27001/17799 information security standard, which has been implemented by 23% of the surveyed companies. Following close behind, used by 20% of companies, is NFPA 1600, which was endorsed as the National Preparedness Standard in 2004 by DHS, the U.S. Congress, the 9/11 Commission, and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Three other kinds of standards have all been implemented by 12% of companies.
