San Juan, Puerto Rico -- Today, Sierra Club and Alianza Energía Renovable Ahora (AERA) filed over 15,000 public comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), asking the Commission to end operations at a liquified methane gas import terminal that was built without FERC approval, environmental impact review, risk studies or notification of nearby residents.
The LNG terminal, owned and operated by New Fortress Energy, is already in operation despite widespread popular opposition to new fossil fuel infrastructure in Puerto Rico. The terminal, and any other new methane gas infrastructure, is at odds with the Puerto Rico legislature's mandate that the island end reliance on imported fuels and move aggressively to energy independence through 100% renewable energy. Despite Puerto Rico’s recently passed clean energy law, and the Integrated Resource Plan of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau which calls for a distributed solar grid, New Fortress Energy continues to attempt to build even more unreliable and unaffordable methane gas infrastructure elsewhere on the island.
“The methane gas industry CEOs and the politicians they fund took advantage the turmoil of the Trump administration and post-Rosselló transition to push this terminal through without public input or approval processes,” said Adriana Gonzalez, environmental justice organizer with Sierra Club de Puerto Rico. “This LNG terminal threatens nearby communities with the risk of catastrophic accidents and dangerous pollution, issues that are supposed to be addressed during the permitting process. Operations at this dangerous, unpermitted polluting facility must end immediately.”
Background:
In 2018, New Fortress Energy and its subsidiary NFEnergia acquired a contract from PREPA (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) to convert two diesel-burning units in San Juan to burn methane gas, and also to construct a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import terminal to supply fuel to the units. The company signed a 20 year contract with the Port Authority of Puerto Rico to construct and operate this LNG terminal. New Fortress Energy acquired these contracts through secret, irregular, and possibly illegal methods that Earthjustice's client CAMBIO PR, in partnership with IEEFA, exposed in a June 2020 report.
The Natural Gas Act requires prior FERC approval for LNG terminals, with few exceptions. The contracts specified that it was New Fortress Energy's responsibility to acquire FERC approval: New Fortress Energy never did so, and in 2020 FERC issued an Order To Show Cause to New Fortress Energy, with the initial conclusion that the company did not follow proper procedure. FERC's order required New Fortress Energy to provide FERC with full information on the terminal. Earthjustice, in partnership with the labor union UTIER and local attorneys, filed with FERC a Joint Protest and Motion to Intervene with the full story on the LNG Terminal, debunking the company’s arguments that it followed due process, and providing background on the safety and environmental hazards to local communities. The filings from Earthjustice and UTIER's counsel demonstrate how the company evaded public review and denied those communities a voice in siting and permitting this LNG Terminal.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.