Sergio
Chapa Dec.
4, 2019
Environmentalists are raising concerns that
building a new liquefied natural gas export terminal along the mouth of the
Calcasieu Ship Channel in southwest Louisiana could harm a shy and elusive
marsh bird that is expected to be added to the endangered species list.
In a public letter filed with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday, the Audubon Society of
Louisiana wrote that the proposed Commonwealth LNG export terminal could
destroy habitat for the eastern black rail, a rare marsh bird that fits in the
palm of the average person's hand.
Described as "shy and elusive" by
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the rail is one of 41 species of animals
that have been nominated to be added to the agency's endangered species list
next year.
Exact population figures remain unclear but
with an estimated 1,300 left along the coastal prairies of Texas and less than
1,000 breeding pairs along the Atlantic Coast, Audubon Louisiana has captured
and banded more than three dozen of the rare birds on private lands along
Highway 82 in southwest Louisiana. The environmental group said the rail
prefers habitat heavy with gulf cordgrass, which is visible on the proposed LNG
project site.
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