The White House has intervened in the permitting process for 17 large natural gas projects and ordered additional climate impact analyzes after activists called on the administration to halt the projects, The New York Times reported.
In a move that environmentalists have been demanding in recent months, the White House has ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the climate change impacts of proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects. three people familiar with the internal deliberations said. New York Times. The DOE has never denied a gas export application on climate grounds.
“It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policy decisions through leaks to the media,” said Shaylyn Hines, a spokeswoman for energy developer Venture Global. “Uncertainty continues to arise as to the ability to rely on LNG.” said in a statement. “If this leak report from an anonymous White House source is true, it appears the administration intends to suspend the entire U.S. LNG industry.”
“Such an action would shock global energy markets, trigger economic sanctions, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States,” Hines added. “The real irony is that this policy would force the world to switch to coal, which would harm the climate and lead to higher emissions.”
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President Biden previously agreed with European Union officials to send additional U.S.-produced liquefied natural gas to the bloc in response to global supply shortages sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The White House declined to comment on the report, and the Department of Energy did not respond to requests for comment.
Among the projects affected by the DOE review is the so-called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project. It is a proposed $10 billion LNG terminal to be built on a 546-acre site in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, and would be the largest export terminal. Its kind in this country.
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According to Venture Global, the facility will have an LNG export capacity of 20 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and a maximum capacity of approximately 24 MTPA. According to one source, the United States exported 88.9 tons of LNG in 2023. FOX business analysis This represents a staggering 23% increase in exports from the CP2 facility alone.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers and fossil fuel industry groups say pending LNG export terminals are key to strengthening the U.S. economy and supporting the energy security of allies in Europe and Asia amid geopolitical turmoil. We are asking the government to approve it quickly.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana): “The more the Biden administration stalls approving new paths for the United States to develop and supply clean natural gas to our allies, the more the White House It gives power to the enemy,” he told FOX News Digital. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The more the Biden administration drags its feet in approving new avenues for the United States to develop and supply clean natural gas to our allies, the more the White House will empower our adversaries in China and Russia and protect the American people.” will pay higher energy prices,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, told FOX News Digital in a statement.
“For our economy and national security, President Biden cannot continue to rely on climate fanatics who are happy to see our nation sacrifice jobs and energy independence for free,” Kennedy said. “It's not going to happen,” he said.
Fellow Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing this month that the carbon footprint of U.S. LNG export facilities is “dwarfed by foreign coal-fired power alternatives.” It was argued that it was relatively low.
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“This is a war against our allies,” Cassidy told Fox News Digital. “They depend on us for their energy and economic security. For obvious political purposes, the Biden administration is deliberately delaying permits. President Putin must have designed this strategy.”
Those comments were echoed Wednesday by Marty Durbin, director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute, who said U.S. LNG could serve as a “crucial alternative to the dirtier Russian gas” that Europe still relies on. He said he was fulfilling his role. “Any move that limits or slows our ability to fulfill our commitments to our allies is deeply concerning,” he said.
A tank truck transporting LNG is photographed in Germany. “If additional U.S. LNG export capacity does not materialize, there is a risk of widening and prolonging global supply imbalances,” industry group Eurogas said in a statement this month. (Bodo Marks/Photo in partnership with Getty Images)
Earlier this month, international energy organizations Eurogas and the Asian Natural Gas and Energy Association (ANGEA) issued strong statements of support for the continued licensing of LNG export terminals in the United States. Eurogas said such exports are critical to fully phasing out Europe's dependence on Russian natural gas, while ANGEA said US LNG is needed to meet Asia's decarbonization goals. he added.
But LNG export terminals are opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who say they cause harmful pollution and contribute to global warming. The issue prompted activists to post a video on social media that has been viewed tens of millions of times in the past two months.
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And in December, dozens of environmental groups sent a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm imploring her to reject the CP2 project “for the sake of our climate and our communities.” Days later, 170 scientists sent a letter to President Biden, determining that CP2 is not in the public interest and asking him to reject CP2 and other pending LNG facilities.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm spoke at a White House press conference in November 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
“Stopping the expansion of gas exports is one of the most important steps President Biden can take to address the climate crisis. This is a bold and historic decision that “This is a huge victory for communities and advocates who have been speaking out for years about LNG,” Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous said Wednesday.
“These facilities pollute our communities, make energy more expensive for American households, and worsen the climate crisis, all for the purpose of more gas the world doesn't need,” he said. continued. “Our movement will never give up and will continue to work to ensure that this reported groundbreaking step translates into meaningful change.”
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Additionally, climate activist Bill McKibben announced that he is organizing a civil disobedience protest in front of the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C., over permits for a new LNG export terminal. He said the action mimics the protests that helped nationalize the Keystone XL pipeline fight during the Obama administration.
