(Alton Wallace, The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of the Interior has transferred jurisdiction of a historic 3-acre parcel located at the mouth of the Calcasieu River to accommodate expansion of the Venture Global LNG export facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Under Public Land Order 7969, signed by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the property, used since 1875 by the U.S. Coast Guard as the Calcasieu Radio Beacon Station, is being considered for a noncompetitive direct land sale to Cameron Land Ventures LLC, an affiliate of Venture Global LNG.

The property, once an island and now a bit of land that sticks into the mouth of the Gulf and Calcasieu River, was analyzed and determined suitable to be returned as public lands, according to the Bureau of Land Management, which is acting as its temporary custodian. Venture Global intends to add 10 million tons per year of production capacity at the Calcasieu Pass facility, boosting output to a total of 39 million tons per year, with a final investment decision in late 2027 and first production expected in late 2028.

“This proposed land sale helps advance American Energy Dominance by meeting energy infrastructure needs, while supporting transparency and a fair return to the public,” Acting BLM Southeastern States District Manager Shayne Banks stated.

The public land order and the proposed direct sale support Executive Orders 14154 and 14156, which declare a national energy emergency and mandate unleashing American energy, the bureau said in a statement. These efforts also align with administration priorities to cut red tape, streamline the environmental review process, and expand supply chain capacity, the bureau said.

The land officially becomes available for Venture Global to buy on Aug. 21, 10 days after Burgum’s order was published in the Federal Register. Once the mandatory NEPA Environmental Impact Statement review is complete, the BLM anticipates the direct land sale could be finalized later this year “for no less than its appraised fair market value.”

“Calling this ‘American Energy Dominance’ does not change what is happening on the ground in Cameron Parish,” said Robyn Thigpen, executive director of the advocacy group Fishermen Involved in Saving Our Heritage. The federal government is taking a piece of public land at the mouth of the Calcasieu River, land with a history dating back to 1875, and positioning it for a noncompetitive direct sale to an affiliate of Venture Global, another multibillion-dollar LNG corporation that already has an enormous industrial footprint on our coast,” said Thigpen.

Thigpen said in a statement emailed to The Center Square that the government’s own language about “cutting red tape” and “streamlining the environmental review process” is deeply troubling. “The protections they call red tape are supposed to exist for a reason. They give the public an opportunity to ask what another industrial development means for our fisheries, navigation, wetlands, safety, and the cumulative damage already being inflicted on Cameron Parish,” said Thigpen.

According to internal agency correspondence, the BLM’s 45-day public comment window, which began on June 1 when the agency published a Notice of Realty Action in the Federal Register.

“A total of four public comments were received during the 45-day comment window,” Wayne Campbell, Communications Lead for BLM’s Eastern States, told Center Square in an email. “All four comments were objections and were filed by individuals.”

BLM noted that no national environmental organizations formally intervened during the comment period, but Louisiana advocacy groups remain vocal.

“It is just astounding, and it never ends,” said Anne Rolfes, director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, about the expected land transaction. “To have this company have the first rights at that property is totally wrong — They’re from Virginia, for God’s sakes, and you don’t even look to local people.”

Rolfes also criticized state Louisiana political leadership for matching Washington’s aggressive focus on faster permitting and project approvals. “Our governor introduced his own lightning-speed initiative to fast-track things here,” she added.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Louisiana coast, the same national energy emergency declarations are being used to accelerate development of Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG facility.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fast-tracked permits for Venture Global’s Plaquemines expansion on the Mississippi River under a national energy emergency directive, as reported by Verite News. By reducing the public comment period from 30 days to 10 days, the agency is expected to expedite approval for a doubling of the facility’s footprint from about 590 to 1,220 acres.