Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the owner of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, is confident that the pipeline is close to being green lit and that construction could even begin within the next few weeks. The project has already received the go-ahead by other state agencies. The pipeline, which runs from Lake Charles to St. James Parish and will cut through the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, should hopefully receive the necessary permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a final permit from the state.
“We anticipate we’ll start construction by the end of the year,” says Vicki Granado, spokesman for ETP. “We are at the tail end of the permitting process.” If approved, the 162-mile-long pipeline would eventually cross 11 south Louisiana parishes as well as portions of the Atchafalaya Basin, and create 2,500 construction jobs and 12 permanent jobs. The first leg of the pipeline connecting Nederland, Texas, to facilities and refineries in Lake Charles was completed in 2016.
Many residents in the area have expressed concern over possible leaks but a spokesmen for the oil and gas industry have commented that modern technology can immediately detect and resolve any leaks in the pipeline, thereby making significant leaks virtually impossible. “We have control centers that monitor our pipelines 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,” says ETP’s Granada. “There are automatic shut-off valves, so as soon as there’s a change in the temperature or pressure detected along the line, our control center hits the switch and those automatically shut off valves.”
Image courtesy of Allie Appell