Southwest Louisiana Residents Deliver Resounding Message to LDEQ: Reject Commonwealth Gas Export Terminal Air Permit

Cameron Parish, LA — A crowd of 50 people descended on the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality public hearing last night, urging regulators to defend the Louisiana coast and reject plans to issue an air permit to the Commonwealth gas export facility. Retired oil and gas workers, teachers, concerned parents and lifelong Louisiana residents objected to the facility on grounds that it would make the region uninhabitable from pollution and worsening storms. There were no Commonwealth representatives present at the hearing.  

Commonwealth export terminal is one of 10 gas) export terminals proposed for or existing in southwest Louisiana. The terminal would be a massive polluter, emitting millions of tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every year (over 3.5 million tons).  In addition, other polluting chemicals are belched from these plants in large quantities such as Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Oxides, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).

There are already three other massive export terminals already operational in Cameron Parish, including Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass facility directly across the river on the East Bank. The pollution from all of these plants is so high that very soon, rural Cameron Parish will have the pollution emissions equal to the city of Baton Rouge. The coastal and flood protection provided by the coast and wetlands would be destroyed in construction of the faclity. Commonwealth gas export terminal would also pose a threat to Threatened and Endangered species such as the Eastern Black Rail birds and Rice's whales.

Roishetta Ozane, founder of the Vessel Project, said:

“Communities in Southwest Louisiana are still recovering from extreme weather events and are living with blue tarps still on their roofs and receive inadequate FEMA aid. The last thing Southwest Louisiana needs is a massive fossil fuel LNG buildout. We need our basic needs met. Southwest Louisiana is already dominated by the petrochemical and fossil fuel industry, and Commonwealth LNG and the other proposed facilities would only compound the already severe impacts that polluting industries have on the area. LDEQ must reject Commonwealth's air permit and put the community’s health and wellbeing first.”

James Hiatt, Southwest Louisiana Coordinator for Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said:

“I love Southwest Louisiana. I’ve spent nearly my entire life here. Commonwealth would be a death sentence for our coast and our region. The proponents of these facilities eliminate important facts: having our finite natural resources tied to a global market has contributed to the increasing cost of everything. Don't be fooled by those claiming that this export gas is for Ukraine and our European Allies: those served by Russian Gas pipelines have no gas import facilities to take any of this gas, and any new terminals on either side, importing or exporting, will take years to construct.”

Naomi Yoder, staff scientist with Healthy Gulf, said:

“Commonwealth, along with the suite of other fracked gas projects proposed in the area, would devastate the area’s already vulnerable wetlands and environment, harm public health, and contribute to climate change. LNG is 90% methane, a toxic and potent greenhouse gas that is 85% stronger than carbon dioxide at warming our climate. Climate change makes natural disasters in places like SWLA more severe and frequent. We cannot afford to go in this direction. It’s time to move away from super polluting dirty fuels like LNG and towards a renewable energy future, a future where Gulf communities can thrive.”