Changes proposed by Sempra LNG unit Cameron LNG LLC to its liquefied natural gas terminal in Cameron Parish, LA, to allow for the export of LNG do not meet the threshold to be considered “new construction,” according to U.S. Coast Guard Captain J.J. Plunkett, captain of the port for Port Arthur, TX.

As the changes do not constitute new construction, Plunkett said they do not require a letter of intent under the Code of Federal Regulations.

In a letter to Cameron filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Plunkett wrote, “The waterway impacts associated with export operations at the Cameron LNG terminal should not change or exceed those envisioned in the original environmental impact statement, environmental assessment, and waterway suitability assessment.”

The terminal is on the Calcasieu Channel, 18 miles from the Gulf of Mexico in Hackberry, LA, and is owned 100% by Sempra Energy. Commercial operation began in July 2009.

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