Local Groups & Sierra Club Challenge Permit for Pipeline that Would Feed CP2 LNG Export Facility

Cameron, Louisiana - Today, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Fisherman Involved in Sustaining our Heritage (FISH), and Sierra Club filed a lawsuit in the 38th Judicial District in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, challenging the coastal use permit issued by the Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy (LDCE) for the proposed Marais Pipeline project.

The Marais Pipeline would consist of approximately 44 miles of 48-inch diameter gas pipeline and associated aboveground facilities through coastal Louisiana. It would fill or disturb more than 800 acres of wetlands and water bottoms in Calcasieu Parish and Cameron Parish, in a coastal region that is critical for the region's climate resilience, as wetlands provide an essential barrier for local communities against increasingly strong hurricanes and flooding associated with climate change. Specifically, the pipeline would provide 1.9 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day of methane gas to the CP2 LNG terminal, which is the climate-change causing greenhouse gas (GHG) equivalent of 10 coal-fired power plants or nearly 9 million gasoline-powered passenger vehicles annually.

In October 2025, the Cameron Parish court ruled in a lawsuit on the nearby Commonwealth LNG terminal that LDCE must analyze climate change impacts before issuing a coastal use permit. Nevertheless, as charged in the lawsuit, LDCE issued the Marais permit without considering the project's climate change impacts or the impacts of sea level rise, coastal erosion, flooding and storm surge on the area.

The CP2 LNG terminal, which is set to be one of the largest LNG export terminals in the nation, would export 20 million metric tons per year of liquefied methane gas if fully built. The GHG emissions resulting from downstream use of this exported gas would be equal to more than the annual emissions of 42 million gas-powered cars or 46 coal-fired power plants. CP2 would also spew health-harming pollutants into a community that is already disproportionately impacted by industrial pollution and has more low-income residents than 88 percent of the country.

LNG exports have also been linked to higher utility bills. By shipping large volumes of gas overseas, the U.S. exposes its domestic supply to higher global market prices and reduces the amount of gas available at home, which drives up both home heating costs and electricity rates.

In response, the petitioners in the suit issued the following statements:

"The Marais Pipeline is another reminder that our communities are expected to carry the risks while corporations collect the profits," said Robyn Thigpen, Executive Director of Fisherman Involved in Sustaining our Heritage (FISH). "Southwest Louisiana is not a sacrifice zone, and we will continue fighting for the people, waters and fisheries that call this place home. We deserve leaders who protect people instead of fast-tracking projects that threaten our health, our environment and our future. We will not stop demanding accountability."

"State officials rubber-stamped the coastal use permit for this pipeline without fully examining the toll it would take. Communities deserve a transparent, science-based review of the project's true costs before permits are issued, not after the damage is done," said Cathy Collentine, Director of Sierra Club's Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. "To make matters worse, this pipeline would supply the massive CP2 LNG export scheme that we know will worsen climate pollution, further threaten coastal wetlands, and drive up energy costs for families across the country."

"If there's one thing we know from the storms and hurricanes that have battered our home, it's that wetlands matter," said Anne Rolfes, Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. "The Marais pipeline would impact 800 acres of wetlands. Hurricane season is already here, and we don't need more wetlands destroyed for the oil and gas industry. We need this area to absorb storm surge and protect us from flooding. This pipeline would benefit a greedy and already rich company - Venture Global - at the expense of those of us who live in and love our state. It's long past time to do what's right for ordinary people rather than out of state corporations that don't give a damn about Louisiana."

"Louisiana law is clear: before issuing a permit for a major gas pipeline in the coastal zone, state regulators must fully evaluate its impacts and determine whether the claimed benefits outweigh the costs," said Clay Garside, attorney for the environmental groups. "We are challenging this permit to ensure the law is followed and that Louisiana's coast, communities, and future are protected."

Additional Background:

This lawsuit builds on other litigation brought by these groups opposing the CP2 LNG project, which is currently under construction, three of which are still pending in court. In August 2024, they filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's approval of the CP2 facility. In August 2025, Sierra Club and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade asked the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to cancel the Clean Air Act permit and stop the construction of the project.

And in February 2026, Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a lawsuit challenging the Department of Energy's approval of CP2's application to export LNG. The suit cites the agency's insubstantial analysis of how LNG exports impact domestic energy prices, its failure to consider lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, and a lack of environmental review.

CP2 is one of many proposed or permitted LNG export terminals on the Louisiana Gulf coast. Many of these are being proposed and built in communities that are predominantly low-income communities of color already in the top 25th percentile for risk of cancer and respiratory illness from toxic air pollution exposure, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. You can explore more about the existing and proposed LNG export facilities with Sierra Club's U.S. LNG Export Tracker tool.

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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 https://www.sierraclub.org.