The recent guest column, “Dredge spill in Cameron Parish highlights worries with LNG megaprojects,” paints an incomplete picture of dredging activity in Louisiana’s waterways. The word “spill” may sound alarming, but the reality is that dredging is a carefully managed, routine and essential process for our environment.

The redistribution of sediment is a natural occurrence that supports biodiversity and plays an important role in keeping the delta system healthy. This ultimately benefits fishermen, shrimpers and the communities that rely on Louisiana’s working coast. The faster the dredging is completed, the less disruption there will be.

I urge my neighbors to exercise caution when presented with the alarmist explanations. We should absolutely hold companies accountable to existing environmental regulations, but the issue presented by the authors is simply not one.

The work being done by manufacturing plants and LNG export facilities is strengthening the economy along Louisiana’s coastline, not causing the calamity presented by the environmental activists. Natural gas companies in the region have even taken steps to preserve the coastline’s longevity by investing in restoration efforts.

When environmental activists continue to raise false alarms about Louisiana’s economic powerhouses, they distract from the real progress being made to offset reliance on Russian oil and gas overseas and bolster international security here at home.

According to Loren Scott’s Louisiana Economic Forecast, LNG export facilities will bring tens of thousands of jobs to the state over the next two years. And further, the development of the LNG export industry has “radically” increased the growth prospects of the region. We should be applauding efforts to untether the world from Russian gas and creating good-paying jobs here in Louisiana, not actively working against them.

CHARLIE MELANCON

spokesman for Louisiana Energy Export Partners (LEEP) Coalition