Advocates respond to pause on pending LNG projects

Port Arthur—The Biden Administration announced a pause on all pending approvals for gas export facilities, amounting to what is being called one of the most important moves President Biden has made in addressing climate change. According to the announcement, the Department of Energy (DOE) will halt approvals of liquified gas exports, known as LNG, while the agency reviews its criteria for determining if a project is in the public interest.

The 12 impacted projects in the U.S. would spew out as much climate-warming pollution as 223 coal plants per year, and they present explosion risks to the communities where they’re located and emit other health-harming chemicals. They’re just a handful of the total 35+ planned or under-construction LNG facilities, most of which are located along the Gulf Coast. The pause will not apply to LNG export facilities already in operation.

Major expansions sought for two LNG facilities in Texas, Port Arthur LNG and Corpus Christi Midscale, have been paused while this review proceeds. While two LNG facilities proposed in Brownsville have already been approved by DOE and are not directly subject to the announcement, but face additional hurdles with federal court challenges.

Though the DOE and the Federal Energy Regulation Commission have never once denied approval to a proposed LNG project, amounting to decades of pollution and destruction in largely marginalized communities of color, the gas industry in Texas and the elected officials to whom they donate are loudly complaining.

In response to the announcement, climate and environmental justice advocates across Texas issued the following statements.

“Today’s action is what these communities deserve, and it’s what must happen to secure a future for our children where the worst effects of climate change can be mitigated,” Dave Cortez, director, Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, said. “The Gulf South has historically been overlooked by other climate actions, so this feels like a much-needed decision.

“It remains to be seen what will come of the ‘Biden Pause’ to secure a safer and healthier future. In the meantime, we’ll continue to fight the industry that thinks it deserves no check on its massive power and we’ll continue to push the Administration to consider the rights of all humans to live free from fear, whether it's fear of pollution, climate change, or war.”

“I want to thank the administration for the pause in granting new licenses to LNG export facilities,” Melanie Oldham, director, Clean Air & Clean Water Better Brazoria, said. “Last year, when Freeport LNG exploded and sent a fireball into the air, we witnessed firsthand the dangers of these massive projects, and I hope that this pause is the first of many steps the administration takes in making sure no other LNG terminal gets built. However, the fight is not over. Freeport LNG continues to operate in my town, and we will not stop until they shut it down.”

“This pause in LNG export terminal approvals is a welcome improvement from the Biden Administration in working toward their purported commitment to environmental justice,” Dr. Robert Bullard, director, Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, said. “This move is an important one for relieving the unjust legacy of pollution and climate change destruction that has been imposed on people of color and continues to this day in our country and around the world.”

“We thank the Biden-Harris administration for listening to our communities experiencing the devastating impacts of massive oil and gas exports firsthand,” Elida Castillo, director, Chispa Texas, said. “This is a hopeful and critical step forward to prioritize people over polluters for our future generations and our communities along the Gulf coast. After record-breaking heat across the country last year, this major action is crucial to combat the climate crisis and environmental injustice, especially for our communities most harmed by toxic pollution from oil and gas extraction.

“For too long, Big Polluters have been allowed to export more fossil fuels year after year regardless of the cost to communities who are living with even more consequences from toxic pollution, consumers across the country already facing higher costs and unreliable energy sources, and more impacted communities by our reliance on fossil fuels. Despite what Big Oil wants us to believe, renewables are bringing down the energy costs for everyone. This is the path to a more sustainable and equitable clean energy future that stabilizes our economy and supports our domestic energy security.”