Courtney Naquin, courtney.naquin@sierraclub.org
Port Arthur, TX - Yesterday, local news reported that Sempra’s Port Arthur LNG fracked gas export terminal will not reach its final investment decision (FID) until late 2022 or as late as 2023. Port Arthur LNG was initially expected to reach FID in 2019.
Sempra Infrastructure President Dan Brouillette claimed that interest in Port Arthur LNG continues to grow, but the export terminal has faced three years of consistent delays. Though Sempra also purports Port Arthur LNG is needed to support Europe during the Ukraine humanitarian crisis, no new gas infrastructure is needed to supply Europe with US gas.
Southeast Texas is already saturated with highly polluting industry and is extremely vulnerable to hurricanes and climate change related disasters, which are exacerbated by industry activity. LNG, or “liquified natural gas,” is fracked gas made of 90% methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming our climate.
Sempra’s export terminal would severely impact Port Arthur’s Black community. Not only would Port Arthur LNG pollute the local environment and harm air quality, and damage vulnerable wetlands, it may displace Port Arthur’s Black neighborhoods.
John Beard, founder of Port Arthur Community Action Network, said:
“Sempra has no concern for the lives, security, and health of Port Arthur. Sempra cares only about money, not our elders and future generations. Will Sempra actually improve our community the way that they say? No. We have had enough of lies and promises. We refuse to be sacrificed so Sempra can make billions exporting more fracked gas."
Roddy Hughes, Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign, said:
“Financial institutions should stay away from Port Arthur LNG. The Gulf Coast is not a sacrifice zone for fossil fuel exports, and communities don’t want more pollution. Instead of investing in more fracked gas infrastructure, now is the time for financiers to be thinking about a sustainable future in renewable energy technologies.”
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