{"id":4738,"date":"2023-12-13T16:59:39","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T21:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/labucketbrigade.org\/?p=4738"},"modified":"2023-12-14T17:18:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-14T22:18:01","slug":"press-release-new-report-shows-chronic-underreporting-of-violations-operational-failures-at-venture-globals-calcasieu-pass-gas-export-terminal-63-of-first-half-of-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/labucketbrigade.org\/press-release-new-report-shows-chronic-underreporting-of-violations-operational-failures-at-venture-globals-calcasieu-pass-gas-export-terminal-63-of-first-half-of-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"PRESS RELEASE: New Report Shows Chronic Underreporting of Violations, Operational Failures at Venture Global\u2019s Calcasieu Pass Gas Export Terminal 63% of First Half of 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
A new report<\/a> released by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Fishermen Involved in Sustaining our Heritage (FISH) reveals significant, ongoing operational problems and demonstrates a pattern of underreporting violations at Venture Global\u2019s Calcasieu Pass (CP) gas export terminal since it began operating in January 2022. The findings, compiled from residents’ photographic documentation and Venture Global\u2019s Title V Semiannual Monitoring Report<\/a>, show recurring incidents of equipment malfunctions and permit violations, near-constant flaring, and regular emission exceedances \u2013 all of which the company underreported in the first half of 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cVenture Global\u2019s operations in Louisiana have been disastrous from day one,\u201d said Anne Rolfes, Louisiana Bucket Brigade executive director<\/strong>. \u201cThere is no way that a company that causes this much harm should receive permits to build additional facilities in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n The report reveals:<\/p>\n Of Venture Global\u2019s track record, environmental journalist Sara Sneath<\/strong> was clear, \u201cMy reporting on Venture Global since they first came to Louisiana has shown a pattern of excessive emissions in violation of the company\u2019s own permits.\u201d She went on, \u201cThe design flaw causing excessive emissions with the Calcasieu Pass facility could become an issue with the company\u2019s proposed facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on gas export terminals\u2019 impacts on the seafood industry, Eddie Lejuine, lifelong Cameron fisherman<\/strong>, said in the report, \u201cI am 60 years old, and as far as I can remember, my dad was in Castle Bayou right here, and Joe\u2019s Cove catching oysters. As far back as I can remember, I\u2019ve been in the boat with my dad. And my kids, in a few more years, the way things are, they won\u2019t ever see that enjoyment.\u201d<\/p>\n Report recommendations include compensation for fishermen whose livelihoods have been affected, rejecting future permits for Venture Global and shutting down Calcasieu Pass due to its consistent, long running operational failures.<\/p>\n Evidence of Venture Global\u2019s efforts to downplay continued operational failures come as applications are pending for the buildout of a second, larger gas export terminal in Cameron Parish, Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2), and construction continues on another terminal in Plaquemines Parish, Plaquemines LNG. According to Venture Global, both of these terminals will be \u2018technologically identical\u2019 to CP.<\/p>\n CP began operations in January 2022 and had over 2,000 permit violations in its first year. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality issued a compliance order against Venture Global for its permit violations at CP. Despite guarantees that issues would be remedied, CP is on track to repeat excessive violations and patterns of substandard reporting in 2023.<\/p>\n Venture Global has earned over $18 billion<\/a> selling gas from CP since it began operations in January 2022. Venture Global earned such high profits by selling on the spot market, rather than fulfilling their contracts. The company has been able to do so by claiming the facility is still in its \u2018pre-commissioning\u2019 phase because operational problems have kept the company from reaching full commercial operations.<\/p>\n However, this practice has raised questions as to whether Venture Global is slow-walking repairs to CP, thereby continuing to pollute the local community\u2019s air, in order to justify extending its pre-commissioning phase to nearly two years. Normally, the pre-commissioning phase is two to three months.<\/p>\n This report is the third of Louisiana Bucket Brigade\u2019s Gas Export Spotlight series<\/a>, which investigates the hazardous and often unreported accidents at Southwest Louisiana\u2019s gas export terminals.<\/p>\n\n