The Kinetica Deepwater Express LLC gas separation and dehydration facility was one of nine oil and gas businesses in Louisiana sent violation notices by EPA in early 2023 as a result of an unusual 40-day-and-night helicopter survey between August 14 and Sept. 24, 2021.

Kinetica Deepwater Express, a subsidiary of Houston-based Kinetica Partners LLC , did not respond to a request for comment. The EPA and settlement documents detailed the fine.

The contractor company handling the survey used infrared detection cameras to identify improper releases of potentially illegal and toxic materials into the air during flights over 150 facilities.

The inspections targeted more than 5,000 tanks, 226 flares and 62 other potential emission sources, according to an EPA spokesperson.

The tank at the Kinetica facility is one of two used to hold natural gas liquids, made up of a variety of hydrocarbon substances removed from natural gas arriving from more than 20 Gulf of Mexico offshore wells, and a nearby natural gas gathering facility, to make it “dry” for shipping by pipeline, and, eventually, for burning or other energy uses.

The liquids that are removed are sold to petrochemical plants and other users. The material stays in liquid form at lower temperatures, and is shipped under pressure by pipeline or tank. Some is moved to flares in gas form and burned off.

The facility was cited for emissions of volatile organic compounds, which can include both toxic chemicals and emissions that contribute to creating ozone, a key part of smog, settlement documents show.

The Sept. 2, 2021, aerial inspection occurred three days after Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, southeast of the Kinetica facility. On Dec. 16, 2021, the company confirmed to EPA that one of the storage tanks had two seal gas leaks, and that repairs of the leaks were completed on Dec. 10. In February 2023, the company provided EPA with details of the repairs and a video of a handheld monitoring device showing the tank was no longer leaking.

As part of the Dec. 16 consent agreement, Kinetica also agreed to conduct quarterly inspections of seals and closure mechanisms on tank floating roofs at the facility over the next 11 months, three measurements of seal gaps on the floating roofs during the year, and to review and update its operation and maintenance procedures for tanks, vents, control devices and truck loading operations.

The agreement also requires the company to hire an independent auditor to conduct a site inspection and evaluation of the facility, including its tanks, valves and flares within 180 days. The company must then submit a report to EPA describing what steps the company will take to address deficiencies identified in the audit, including the installation of new equipment and piping, and confirm the repairs or upgrades don't result in emissions.

Within 30 days of submitting that report, the company must conduct its own optical gas imaging survey to determine if there are gas leaks or unauthorized emissions, including from trucks during active loading and unloading operations.

Email Mark Schleifstein at or follow him on Twitter, @MSchleifstein. His work is supported with a grant funded by the Walton Family Foundation and administered by the Society of Environmental Journalists.