On Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) held a public hearing to collect public comments on a proposed compressor station near Sulphur.

The compressor station would be part of Calcasieu Pass 2, a planned second Venture Global export facility and express pipeline in Cameron Parish. Venture Global CP Express, LLC submitted the operating permit for the Moss Lake Compressor Station, which will support the proposed 85-mile pipeline that will transport liquified natural gas (LNG) from Jasper Country, Texas, to Venture Global.

Compressor stations boost LNG pipeline transportation. The proposed station will have six compressors to move products along the pipelines and will be located five miles west of Moss Lake and north of Black Lake.

Sulphur Resident and Louisiana Bucket Brigade SW La. Program Coordinator Lori Cooke said she was “vehemently” opposed to the project because of public health concerns in the face of pollution, stating the facilities will “exacerbate the existing industrial burden” in Southwest Louisiana.

A Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit must also be reviewed by LDEQ. The facility will exceed the regulated emission thresholds of six pollutants, including carbon monoxide (CO) and greenhouse gases. The total permitted emission for pollutants like CO, nitrogen oxides and particular matter is 925.4 tons a year. For greenhouse gases, the annual threshold is 726,494 tons.

Air pollution can negatively impact nearly every organ in the body, with particulate matter alone posing a risk of long-onset diseases like heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

“I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve seen so many friends die of cancer. So many people in my own family and people I’ve grown up with who suffer daily … It’s not a coincidence where we live,” Cooke said.

Robyn Thigpen, a representative of Fishermen Involved in Sustaining Our Heritage (FISH), believes Venture Global cannot be trusted to accurately monitor emissions.

“They don’t pay attention to that, nor does the LDEQ enforce it. It is time for people to have a moral compass … Venture Global is not good neighbors,” she said. “They haven’t been. They’re not going to be. Our people are paying with our lives … while Venture Global was given a billion dollars in tax breaks.

Bryann Hanks, a member of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association (LOGA) Board of Directors, spoke on behalf of LOGA President Mike Moncla. Like many in support of the compressor station, economic stimulation is the priority. LNG operations have created thousands of jobs, and the Moss Lake Compressor Station will create another 1,400 high-salary positions, he said.

Travis Woods, president, Gulf Coast Industrial Group, said this project is one of several that are economically shaping SW La.

“There is over $200 billion between Beaumont, Texas and Lake Charles that’s breaking loose over the next five years.”

Supporters also noted the benefit of partnerships between LNG and local education institutions like McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College.

Steven Broussard would be the resident living closest to the Moss Lake Compressor Station. He called the name of the facility “misleading,” stating it should be called the “Shoe Pick Ellis Moss Road Compressor Station.” He also expressed his perplexity at the facility’s location and safety.

“The only short-term benefit is going to be jobs, and that’s going to be long gone after the pollutants are still there.”