Andy Li, andy.li@sierraclub.org
NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 21, 2025) - Three environmental groups have filed a lawsuit, asking the court to cancel the Clean Air Act permit and stop the construction of Venture Global’s highly controversial liquefied methane gas export project CP2 LNG.
The Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club and Environmental Integrity Project filed the lawsuit today in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals against the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), to hold LDEQ accountable for issuing short-sighted and flawed permits that violate the Clean Air Act and put Louisiana residents at risk.
If constructed, CP2 would be one of the largest liquid natural gas (LNG) plants in the nation. It would export 20 million metric tons per year of LNG, and the estimated lifecycle greenhouse gas from this methane gas would be more than the annual emissions of 47 million gas-powered cars, or 54 coal-fired power plants. Previous analysis showed that permitted levels of air pollutants like PM2.5 and ozone from the CP2 facility itself could lead to up to 9 premature deaths and other health impacts, an equivalent of $134 million annually.
The facility is based near Cameron Parish, LA, a community that is already overburdened with pollution and has more low-income residents than 93% of the country. Even in the early construction phase, CP2 has already begun destroying the local environment and economy.
“Venture Global has a long history of noncompliance with regards to its Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal,” said John Allaire, a former oil industry worker and resident of Cameron Parish, LA. “This company has been a bad neighbor and continually pollutes the air we breathe, while generating billions of dollars in profits. We fear that CP2 LNG will be more of the same - more air pollution that is making us sick. It is time for LDEQ to do its job and protect people, not corporate profits.”
“The existing Venture Global facility has smoked and flared harmful chemicals for years now. Neither Venture Global nor the state of Louisiana seem to care,” said Anne Rolfes, Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “But those of us who live in and love our state have been sounding the alarm throughout that time, that the gas export industry will make a bad situation with air quality even worse. If the state cannot provide oversight of the Venture Global facility, there is no hope that it can manage the five or seven or ten that are proposed to be constructed. This situation is out of control. The industry needs to be stopped.”
“The people of Cameron Parish and Louisiana have spoken out against destructive projects like CP2 LNG for years. But corporations and government bodies like Venture Global and the LDEQ don’t care,” said Roddy Hughes, Sierra Club’s Senior Campaign Representative for the Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign. “Cameron Parish fishermen are having their livelihoods destroyed by CP2– and LNG projects are directly tied to rising energy costs for Americans across the country. Polluters like Venture Global have to pay their fair share for the damage they are doing to our climate and our public health.”
“The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has again added to the heavy pollution burden from LNG terminals that is threatening the health and quality of life of people in Cameron Parish,” said David Bookbinder, Director of Law and Policy at the Environmental Integrity Project. “Local residents are already overburdened with enormous amounts of air pollution — and this just adds to what they are forced to breathe every day.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.