Liquified Methane Gas Effects
The Methane Export Nexus
The DOE-published study on LNG Impacts links the activities of LNG plants to habitat degradation and declining fisheries stocks, threatening both livelihoods and ecosystems.
The June 3, 2023, LNG truck fire and subsequent evacuation highlight the community’s vulnerability to industrial hazards, underscoring the urgent need for local capacity to monitor and advocate for environmental safety.
Basic necessities are also difficult to access, with the closest major grocery store at a similar distance.
3 of the 4 prior shrimp shops in Cameron have closed shop.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries announced in January 2024, a Statewide Environmental Investigations staff review on environmental regulatory agencies’ permit applications to ensure proposed activities do not adversely impact Louisiana’s fish and wildlife resources.
The Threat to Cameron
Cameron is downriver from a petrochemical epicenter of the Mossville, Sulphur, and Westlake area. The Calcasieu River receives “wastewater from at least 20 plastics and chemical plants that pollute Louisiana’s waters. One of the polluters is the Westlake Eagle US 2 Lake Charles plastics chemical plant, which reported releasing the third most dioxin and dioxin-like compounds of any plant in the U.S. into waterways in 2022, as well as 459,756 pounds of nitrogen in 2023.”
Cameron’s risk of exposure to pollutants is exacerbated by the intersection of unprecedented petrochemical build-out and vulnerability to high-power storms and climate instability. During these storms, plants use the EPA’s SSM rule to dump mammoth amounts of toxic chemicals into the air, which are then distributed by the storm winds.
These industrial operations have taken a toll on public health, yet the nearest hospital is a 40-minute drive away. Cameron Parish’s lack of emergency systems and risk communications compounds the risk of chemical exposure and explosion dangers from the LNG Facilities, who keep their emergency management plans confidential from the community.
An unreliable ferry is one of the two paths out of town. In 2023, an LNG truck ruptured, and people were trapped between an inoperable ferry and the chemical fire. The only form of public transportation is operated by the Cameron Parish Council on Aging, born out of necessity, and only to neighboring parishes in emergencies upon request.
Existing in a food desert, many fisherfolk depend on their catch not only to sustain their livelihoods but also to feed their families, adding to the dangers of compounded environmental hazards through both exposure and consumption.
Water Pollution
Cameron was once the #1 Seafood exporter in America and had a thriving community. According to over 50 local fishermen’s trip ticket analyses, shrimp fishermen have experienced up to an 85% decrease in catch over the past 10 years. This speaks, we believe, to a larger and more concerning ecological collapse in the Calcasieu River. The Fisherfamily Advisory Council on Tradition and Stewardship (FACTS) wants to validate their intrinsic knowledge with the backing of academic credibility. Due to its legacy pollution and continued buildout, the Calcasieu River has been named as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2025. There is a 40% higher cancer rate in Louisiana than in any other state. Studies show that this statistic is linked to the impact of pollution from statewide industrialization.
CP2 Dredge Disaster
On August 5, 2025, Commercial fishermen, coastal advocates, and residents of Cameron Parish voiced alarm and dismay over an apparent unauthorized discharge of dredged material from the Calcasieu Loop Pass dredging project, now spilling into canals and Calcasieu Lake, damaging sensitive ecosystems and threatening the future of the region’s fisheries.
The dredged sediment, pumped from the east side of the loop under the road into containment berms in the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, is overtopping or bypassing those containment areas and flowing north into canals, where crab traps have been buried and waters reduced to a slurry of mud. The discharge is now flowing through the southeast “No Name” weir and into Calcasieu Lake, a critical estuarine habitat.
Community Alliance for Tracking Cameron’s Habitats (CATCH)
The FACTS is looking to gain knowledge of the causes of these issues to inform public policy and education initiatives in a key biological area.
Therefore, with the help of The American Geophoysical Union and The Water Institute, Habitat Recovery Project started CATCH.
The Community Alliance for Tracking Cameron’s Habitats (CATCH) seeks to empower fisherfolk to become community scientists to assess industrial impacts on their environment and fisheries. By equipping them with tools and skills for water quality monitoring and aquatic life stock assessments, the project bridges grassroots ecological knowledge with scientific data collection. This synergy will empower fisherfolk to engage in environmental advocacy and inform state and federal regulatory bodies effectively. The project aims to amplify community voices, validate their lived experiences, and foster sustainable practices in response to environmental and industrial challenges.
The project equips fishermen with the knowledge and skills for scientific data collection and interpretation.
Trip Ticket Data Analysis
Shrimp Stock Assessment
Oyster Stock Assessment
Water Quality Testing
Dredging Sediment Testing
By combining traditional ecological insights with scientific rigor, this initiative aims to enhance community resilience, foster environmental stewardship, and serve as a model for other underserved wetland communities.
Air Pollution
Communities in this region are exposed to airborne pollutants that have been linked to elevated rates of cancer, asthma, and other chronic illnesses, with anecdotal reports from residents showing alarming health outcomes that are not being systematically tracked or studied.
These facilities emit a range of pollutants, including PM2.5, NOx, SO₂, VOCs, and hazardous air pollutants like benzene.
Exposure to these pollutants has been linked to various health problems:
Cardiovascular Problems: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with heart disease.
Cancer Risks: Benzene and other VOCs are known carcinogens, increasing the risk of cancer.
Despite the growing body of evidence pointing to the health impacts of petrochemical emissions across Southwest Louisiana (SWLA), Cameron Parish lacks sufficient air monitoring infrastructure. This problem has been exacerbated by recent legislative changes: the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is now restricted under a new state law from using third-party air monitoring data, further silencing community-based evidence.
At the heart of this issue is not just the health risks associated with industry emissions, but the fact that much of the emissions go underreported, if reported at all.
The fossil fuel industry is expanding aggressively across the region, with more than nine LNG terminals proposed or under construction in the Gulf South. CP2, Venture Global’s second terminal, has been greenlit to become one of the largest LNG export facilities in the world, promising to drastically increase the volume of industrial emissions in an already overburdened region. The majority of impacted residents are low-income communities who lack adequate resources and institutional support to fight back against pollution that threatens their lives and livelihoods.
Communities for Louisiana’s Enhanced Air Response (CLEAR)
In August 2024, Venture Global LNG proposed permit extensions for air emissions in Cameron Parish. The community collectively said no to asthma, heart disease, and cancers associated with Venture Global’s emissions. It was not a surprise, as the proposed permits asked to allow up to a 1500% increase in emissions of toxic chemicals. Venture Global’s priorities were clear.
In that meeting, another thing became CLEAR:
Cameron’s community wanted more robust air monitoring.
In October of 2024, Sharon Wilson of Oilfield Witness showed fisherfolk and community members LNG’s invisible air emissions.
The community was horrified.
From here, Habitat Recovery Project went to work, and in August of 2025, was awarded CLEAR, a community air monitoring grant from the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. We are grateful for the opportunity to bring more data to the folks of Cameron Parish, who face one of the largest oil and gas buildouts of our lifetimes.
We look forward to having this data available publicly around the clock come January 2026.We seek to address:
Inadequate monitoring of harmful pollutants, particularly during and after high-risk events, like storms, when emissions spike and often go unreported.
Limited public awareness and community agency in identifying pollution sources, reporting hazardous events, and advocating for enforcement or change. Many residents lack access to the tools, data, and support needed to protect their health and demand accountability.
The primary goal of this project is to equip frontline communities in Cameron Parish with the tools, knowledge, and infrastructure needed to independently monitor air quality and advocate for environmental justice. By integrating real-time environmental data with resident participation and public outreach, the project aims to close the gap between lived experience and institutional accountability.