Venture Global Calcasieu Pass is in the news again. The Advocate reported that three people have sued the LNG company including the company’s former attorney and the widow of a former board member over $77 million in stock options they say the liquified gas exporter has refused to release to them.

The parties believe that the majority shareholders and co-founders are trying to consolidate shares and boost their value before a potential public offering.

The fight hinges on the legality of a clause that the three claim was inserted without their knowledge that states future attempts to exercise stock options would require the approval of Venture Global’s ‘’compensation committee,’’ according to the lawsuit.

In July LNG traders filed arbitration against Venture Global for failing to supply contracted cargos. Instead, the plant sold around 166 loads to non contract customers from whom it could charge more. The company has sold more gas than any other LNG exporter. It was able to sell the gas at a higher price instead of honoring contracts for less because it wasn’t fully commissioned.

The company received a Compliance Order from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) June 29 addressing the plant’s repeated violations of the Clean Air Act at their Calcasieu gas export terminal. The DEQ gave Venture Global until the end of July to address the order.

That didn’t happen. The company and the DEQ have agreed to enter into dispute resolution and extend the deadline for decision on the request for a hearing for six months.

Venture Global LNG’s proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) environmental approval July 28, which clears the way for the company to make its final investment decision later this year.

Venture Global is located on the Calcasieu Ship Channel in Cameron Parish at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. On the other side of the bank, Commonwealth LNG is building a facility and signed a contract with Baker Hughes August 21 to use Baker Hughes technology to minimize emissions, according to the Commonwealth LNG website news page.