LAKE CHARLES — Sen. John Kennedy said Thursday he had received assurances from the U.S. transportation secretary that Lake Charles will be the home of the National Center of Excellence for Liquified Natural Gas Safety.

Kennedy said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg declared his support at a meeting in Washington of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

“We have directed the (General Services Administration) to provide options in Lake Charles for that LNG Center of Excellence," the secretary said. The center would work with Louisiana colleges, including McNeese State.

“Within Louisiana, it’s going to be placed in Lake Charles, is that right?” Kennedy asked.

“That’s what we’ve directed the GSA to do: to find sites in Lake Charles that would meet the mission,” Buttigieg said, according to a statement from Kennedy's office.

Once completed, the Center will promote and facilitate training, education and research and development within the LNG sector.