liquefied-natural-gas

January 17, 2025

Today, more than 150 environmental organizations sent a letter to President Biden and Secretary Granholm thanking them for releasing the final Department of Energy (DOE) studies on the impacts of liquefied methane gas (LNG) exports. Given scientific conclusions, the groups urge the Biden administration to use this analysis to reject pending LNG export authorizations as not in the public interest.

December 17, 2024

Nearly a year after the historic decision by President Biden and Department of Energy Secretary Granholm to pause consideration of new and pending liquefied methane gas, known as LNG, export applications, the DOE has released updated analysis underpinning the criteria used to make a public interest determination for these applications. The studies were released as final, and there will be a 60-day public comment period that will inform the implementation of the studies.

December 2, 2024

A new report details the extent to which the export industry for liquefied methane gas, known as LNG, benefits from billions of dollars in tax breaks, also called tax abatements, in Louisiana and Texas, with local communities suffering as a result. As the incoming Trump administration threatens to lift pollution safeguards and offer giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, this report brings much-needed scrutiny to the true harm LNG export projects cause by depriving communities of valuable tax revenue for critical infrastructure and services such as bridges, hospitals, schools, and climate resiliency.

September 4, 2024

Today, Gulf Coast and environmental groups filed petitions for review challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of Venture Global’s proposed CP2 LNG. In a 2-1 vote, FERC voted to approve the controversial liquified methane gas export project at its June meeting despite significant flaws in its analysis and information gaps in its review.

August 21, 2024

Cameron, Louisiana – Today, community and environmental groups filed a lawsuit in an attempt to stop construction of a massive methane gas facility. If built, the facility would create greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 14 coal-fired power plants or 13 million new gasoline powered vehicles.  

July 29, 2024

Groups submitted a request for rehearing to challenge the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of Venture Global’s proposed methane gas export facility, CP2 LNG. FERC made the highly controversial decision at its June meeting with a slim 2-1 vote and a strong dissent from former commissioner Allison Clements. Niskanen Center submitted the request on behalf of Sierra Club and a coalition of environmental organizations and impacted community members.

July 2, 2024

Washington, DC - Yesterday, a Trump-appointed judge in the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction to block the Biden administration's pause on liquefied methane gas export approvals. While the order does not require the authorization of any new LNG facilities, it requires the Department of Energy to continue its review of pending LNG export applications. The judge’s order does not stop the DOE from its ongoing update of the data and analysis used in its Public Interest Determination process for determining whether to authorize new LNG export permits. 

June 27, 2024

Washington, DC - Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted to approve Venture Global’s gas export facility, CP2 LNG, despite clear evidence the facility will contribute to harm to the local community, climate, and nationwide energy price spikes and volatility.

June 21, 2024

Yesterday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced that CP2 LNG is on the agenda for its June meeting, in the midst of robust and ongoing frontline and national opposition to the gas export project. Evidence shows that expanded gas exports would be harmful to local communities, significantly contribute to dangerous climate change, and raise domestic energy prices nationwide.

May 30, 2024

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club sued the federal government today for failing to properly evaluate harms from the Alaska LNG project to several threatened and endangered species.

May 9, 2024

Gulf Coast community groups and environmental advocates are urging the Biden Administration to reevaluate the criteria used to determine whether massively expanding U.S. crude oil exports that lock in decades of fossil fuel dependence and harm Gulf Coast communities is in the “national interest.”

April 10, 2024

House Republicans are threatening to withhold funding for the collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore unless President Biden reverses the pause on approvals for new methane gas exports, or LNG. In a visit to Maryland on Friday, the President reiterated his commitment to reopen the Baltimore port and provide federal funding. The funding would be allocated to the reconstruction of the bridge, which could take from 18 months to several years.