A subsidiary of liquified natural gas (LNG) exporter Venture Global is planning a 294-mile pipeline to an LNG export terminal south of New Orleans.

The proposed Cloud Connector Pipeline could transport up to 4.5 billion cubic feet per day from St. Landry Parish, northwest of Baton Rouge, to Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG terminal in Plaquemines Parish, according a Sept. 28 notice by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Venture Global is seeking a permit from the Corps to impact 1,423 acres of wetlands along the pipeline route.

The Corps is allowing the permit to proceed under President Donald Trump’s energy “emergency” order. The agency is offering the public only nine business days to weigh in, with comments on the draft permit due Oct. 8.

Venture Global was among the companies to donate to Trump’s 2025 inauguration, offering $1 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company has also received $964 million in state and local tax incentives for Plaquemines LNG alone, according to Inside Climate News. The company also operates the Calcasieu Pass and CP2 LNG terminals in Southwest Louisiana.

In 2022, Calcasieu Pass terminal (CP1), Venture Global exceeded air pollution limits 139 times for nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, VOCs, Inside Climate News reported. Venture Global failed to report pollution incidents within required time frame. State regulators later allowed the company to modify its permit to release more air pollution.

The company is also seeking a coastal use permit from state regulators that would allow it to temporarily impact 663 acres of wetlands and permanently alter 69 acres in the state's coastal zone. The Louisiana Department of Conservation and Energy is accepting comments on its application until Oct. 9.

— Research contributed by Paul MacGillis-Falcon.