Residents urge Sulphur council to reject lease and sale tied to Lake Charles Methanol 2; ordinances introduced for further review

On Nov. 10 the Sulphur City Council heard more than an hour of public comment during the introduction of two ordinances tied to Lake Charles Methanol 2.

Council members placed the two items at the start of the meeting to accommodate a large turnout. The ordinances (listed in the agenda as Ordinance 94-25 and Ordinance 95-25) would authorize the mayor to execute a lease and to negotiate a buy-sell agreement for property adjacent to the city wastewater treatment facility. The lease described on the agenda would cover about 2.73 acres and—according to the ordinance text read to the council—carry an annual rental payment of $81,900.

City staff and the city engineer told the council the parcel sits within a larger 40-acre wastewater site and that the area shown on the exhibit would leave several acres for future municipal expansion. Administration officials said the valuation offered by Lake Charles Methanol 2 was financially attractive and should be evaluated along with legal and long-term implications.

Speakers from across Sulphur and neighboring communities urged the council not to move the project forward. "We don't need this,” said Danny DePetta, a resident who told the council the city should keep the land for municipal use. Several speakers likewise said the land was purchased originally for regional sewer expansion and argued selling or leasing it would be irrevocable.

Public concerns focused on three themes: pipeline safety, cumulative pollution, and local control. Multiple residents cited incidents involving CO2 transport elsewhere and warned that a leakage event could threaten homes, schools and businesses. Molly McCarthy, a resident who spoke during public comment, said the proposed facility would "emit over 350 tons per year of air pollutants including nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, methanol and ammonia," and asked the council to reject the introduction to prevent groundwork for a larger plant.

Representatives of the project responded at the meeting. Michael Wortley, speaking for Lake Charles Methanol 2, described a large methanol plant proposal that would convert natural gas to methanol, create construction and some permanent jobs, and require capture of CO2 for sale; he said the company has arrangements to pipe captured CO2 to an existing line several miles north of Lake Charles. Wortley said the parcel under consideration was intended for an administrative building and parking, not the plant’s process equipment.

Several speakers raised statutory and procedural questions: Cindy Robertson asked whether required public notices and warranty language comported with the cited rules (she referenced "Sarah Title 3," as read in the meeting) and asked where environmental surveys and supporting documents were posted. Council staff pointed members of the public to the posted agenda materials and to the LEPC and city web pages for plan and comment links.

The chair reminded the public that the meeting vote on an introductory ordinance is not a final approval of the sale or lease: an introductory vote, the chair explained, moves the item to further review and schedule for a subsequent confirmation vote. Council members took motions and roll-call votes that recorded the ordinances’ introduction so the items can be studied further and returned at a later meeting for final action.

What happens next: the items were introduced for further review and will return to a future council meeting for additional public notice, staff follow-up and a final council vote. Members of the public who asked the council to "vote no" said they plan to continue organizing before the next meeting.

Provenance: The item was introduced to the council as Agenda Item 16 (SEG 512–522). LEPC and public comments run from SEG 329–486 and the extended public-comment record and company response appear through SEG 1500–1450. The council’s articulation of introductory versus final votes is at SEG 294–306.

Speakers (as named on the record): Ronald Tower (vice chair, LEPC; first recorded SEG 329), Michael Wortley (representative, Lake Charles Methanol; SEG 1407), Mayor Mike Danahey (referenced in ordinance text; SEG 514), Danny DePetta (public commenter; SEG 608), Cindy Robertson (public commenter; SEG 484), Sheila Broussard (public commenter; SEG 763), Wendy Wingate (public commenter; SEG 791), Joshua Baden (public commenter; SEG 835), Charlie Atherton (public commenter; SEG 1235), Les Farnham (public commenter; SEG 1169), Molly McCarthy (public commenter; SEG 914). Quotations in this account come from those speakers’ remarks recorded in the transcript.

Authorities and documents on the record: Ordinance 94-25 (lease authorization) and Ordinance 95-25 (buy-sell authorization) were named on the agenda (SEG 514, SEG 1616–1621). The LEPC plan and comment link were referenced by the LEPC speaker (SEG 424–423). A resident referenced "Sarah Title 3" as statutory authority for committee composition (SEG 503–504); the transcript gives that phrasing as spoken.

Clarifying details: the lease term cited in public questions was described during comment as a 40-year lease with two 10-year extensions (public question/answer, SEG 767). The ordinance text read aloud described the leased area as roughly 2.73 acres adjacent to the wastewater treatment facility (SEG 519–521) and an annual rental payment of $81,900 (SEG 521–523). The company representative said buyers require capture of CO2 and described a plan to pipe the CO2 to an existing line about seven miles north (SEG 1439–1442).

Searchable tags: Lake Charles Methanol 2; Sulphur; pipeline; CO2; lease; wastewater plant; LEPC; public comment.

Why it matters: the dispute ties land-use decisions to public-safety and environmental concerns raised by nearby residents and to long-term infrastructure planning for the wastewater system. The council’s next steps will determine whether the city preserves the property for municipal expansion or proceeds with negotiations that supporters argue bring near-term revenue.