The USCG provided a letter of recommendation to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) March 19, on the Calcasieu Ship Channel’s suitability to support Liquefied Natural Gas marine traffic associated with the proposed Commonwealth LNG project.
The applicant letter of intent was firstly issued to the Coast Guard Captain of the Port Arthur in July 2017. From that time, Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Lake Charles has worked with the applicant, port stakeholders and emergency responders to assess the safety and security measures needed to facilitate increased LNG carrier vessel traffic on the Calcasieu Ship Channel.
After reviewing the Commonwealth’s Waterway Suitability Assessment and stakeholder consultation, the Coast Guard COTP of Port Arthur proceeded to recommendations that the applicable portion of the waterway are for the time being ideal for the LNG marine traffic associated with this project.
Consequently, Cmdr. Dan Cost, Coast Guard Commanding Officer at MSU Lake Charles stated
We applaud the efforts of the local officials and Port Community of Southwest Louisiana for their participation throughout the Waterway Suitability Assessment process for the proposed Commonwealth LNG terminal.
In the meatime the one responsible for the siting, construction and operation of the onshore LNG facilities is FERC.
Once the commission completes their review of an application for an LNG facility, it is required to complete an Environmental Impact Statement. The Coast Guard will serve as a cooperating agency for FERC’s EIS.
