By Rita Shirley LeBleu
The LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese State University and National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety marked its official opening with the customary ribbon cutting Monday, Apr. 20. However, this was no run-of-the-mill happening.
The first clue was the large crowd in attendance, probably close to 100 men and women. At least a third were from out of town. Several, including guest speakers, were from Washington, D.C.
It was, as interim president of McNeese State University Dr. Kedrick Nicholas described the event, a “remarkable occasion,” not only for the University and Lake Charles, but also for Southwest Louisiana, the State of Louisiana and for the nation. Later in his speech, Nicholas said the Center will “advance economic development along with intellectual and regulatory understanding of LNG production and its impacts on the world.”
State Rep. Phillip Tarver compared what’s happening with the LNG industry in Southwest Louisiana and beyond to how the automotive industry changed Detroit and eventually, the world in the early 1900s.
In 2025, the United States exported 110 billion metric tons of LNG to 40 countries, according to Paul Roberti, PHMSA Administrator. Over 60 percent of exports were from Louisiana-based facilities. Current nearby facilities in operation or under construction are Woodside Energy, located in Sulphur, Cameron LNG, located in Hackberry, Cheniere Energy, located in Johnson Bayou/Sabine Pass and Commonwealth and Venture Global in Cameron.
Shipments are projected to double in 2029.
That makes LNG export facilities important for the global balance of supply and demand and it is what tips the geopolitical balance in favor of American principles, open markets and freedom across the globe, Roberti said.
PHMSA stands for the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration, which is a U.S. Department of Transportation agency. It’s tasked with regulating and ensuring the safe, reliable and environmentally sound transportation of energy and hazardous materials. It oversees over 3 million miles of pipelines.
Louisiana holds nearly 50,000 miles of pipelines, according to the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, and pipelines are the primary method used to transport natural gas to LNG export facilities.
PHMSA is only one government agency that regulates the LNG industry. It is joined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Department of Energy and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Think of the National Center of Excellence for LNG as the place where information, education, innovation and inter-agency regulatory and best safety practices converge.
“No agency owns it alone, ” said Sento White, PHMSA Engineering and Research Division. “By locating here at McNeese, federal expertise remains embedded in a hub of education.”
The Center is more than just an office.
“We are a true partnership between federal and state regulators, industry leaders and academic institutions to solve problems before they become risks. What makes the center unique is that there is now a centralized hub whose primary focus is on the improved coordination, communication and expertise in these complex (LNG) facilities,” said White.
PHMSA will focus on furthering federal expertise, establishing a best practices repository that’s accessible to every stakeholder and improving stakeholder collaboration. This isn’t the finish line, White said. It’s a starting point for a safer, more innovative next 20 years in the LNG sector.
Groundwork for The LNG Center of Excellence and National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety was laid in 2020 after Congress passed the PIPES Act, which improved pipeline safety and infrastructure.
Senator John Kennedy added language that created the first-ever National Center of Excellence for LNG Safety, and he made sure that the Center was required to be in Louisiana.
Almost three million dollars in funding was granted from the United States Economic Development Administration. Four million dollars was granted by the McNeese Foundation and other monies came from private donors for the 23,000 square foot, two-story building at 115 W. Sale Rd. in Lake Charles.
