Lafayette Reporter

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today confirmed with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg that the National Center of Excellence for Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Safety will be located in Lake Charles, La. The exchange occurred during a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

“We have directed the GSA [General Services Administration] to provide options in Lake Charles for that LNG Center of Excellence. Of course, we need to make sure we follow the procurement process, and we need to make sure that there are adequate resources coming in from the Center, and we’re working with you on that,” Buttigieg said.

“But we certainly recognize the importance and the potential of this facility and the value that it could bring, making sure that we have the safest and most environmentally responsible LNG processes in the world,” the secretary concluded.

Buttigieg confirmed that the Center would be located in Louisiana in partnership with Louisiana colleges, including McNeese State University.

“Within Louisiana, it’s going to be placed in Lake Charles, is that right?” asked Kennedy.

“That’s what we’ve directed the GSA to do: to find sites in Lake Charles that would meet the mission,” Buttigieg confirmed.

In 2020, Kennedy advocated for the creation of a new National Center of Excellence for LNG and drafted legislation to guarantee it would be built in Louisiana. He later secured funding to build and operate the Center. Kennedy also fought to ensure that Lake Charles would overcome the efforts of several competing sites along the Gulf Coast to become the Center’s home.

Kennedy then worked to secure a partnership between the Center, McNeese State and other Louisiana colleges to create opportunities for students to get hands-on experience with industrial-grade LNG equipment. Once completed, the Center will promote and facilitate training, education and research and development within the LNG sector.

Kennedy told Buttigieg that Louisianians have been waiting for years for this project to move forward.

“We’re trying to get this built. It’s frustrating, of course. It’s not, altogether, your fault. Some days it seems like it takes longer than medical school to get something done around here,” Kennedy explained.