Venture Global Sued Over Sediment Spill at Louisiana LNG Terminal

A group of commercial fishers and seafood processors in southwest Louisiana has filed a lawsuit against Venture Global, a liquefied natural gas company. The plaintiffs claim that dredging operations for a new terminal resulted in a sediment spill that killed millions of oysters and diminished catches of finfish, crabs, and shrimp.

The suit alleges that the construction of CP2, a $30 billion LNG export terminal, has hurt the seafood industry in the area. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for dead and diminished catch, equipment losses, and continued murky water in their estuaries and fishing grounds.

Venture Global acknowledged the leak into the estuary but initially denied that sediment reached the lake. However, the company eventually acknowledged that the spill was significant, sending between 9,000 and 18,000 cubic yards of sediment into a channel and marsh that borders Calcasieu Lake.

Anthony 'Tad' Theriot, one of the plaintiffs, estimates his immediate losses at over $450,000. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions alleging that the construction of CP2 is hurting the seafood industry in the area.