The prominent Gen Z climate change activist, who has amassed nearly 700,000 followers on TikTok, spoke with White House officials ahead of President Biden’s decision to suspend large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. He said he met with.
“I started advocating for a moratorium on new LNG export terminals last year after learning that this type of fuel increases air pollution levels,” Alex Haraus told Fox News Digital.
Haraus said TikTok videos about climate change regularly rack up thousands, sometimes millions, of views, and new research suggests LNG can have dirtier carbon emissions than coal when burned. He added that the United States is already exporting “sufficient quantities” to allies. “It makes sense for a few companies to poison more people with the pollution they emit just to make a profit.”
In November, Haraus began posting regular videos about the dangers of allowing the federal government to build more LNG export terminals. The LNG export terminal is a project aimed at leveraging America’s fossil fuel reserves so that U.S. allies in Europe and Asia can wean themselves off Russian energy. Proponents of such projects say they will benefit the U.S. economy, the energy security of its allies, and emissions control.
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Climate activist and TikTok star Alex Haraus has repeatedly posted videos on TikTok warning about federal permits for new natural gas export projects. (Alex Haraus/TikTok/video screenshot)
But Haraus said in a video frequently filmed from Louisiana, where the LNG export terminal is being built, that the project would lead to increased emissions and therefore worsen global warming. On Nov. 27, he posted a video that has garnered more than 137,000 views, in which he says that increasing LNG export capacity means “If we don’t build terminals, we’ll have more people, faster, because of the United States.” It’s going to burn out.”
And after he started posting the videos, Halaus said he met with White House climate advisers, along with environmental activists from the Gulf Coast who also opposed the project. Then, on January 26, the White House and Department of Energy (DOE) appeared to comply with activists’ demands by announcing that they were suspending all pending LNG export terminal permits due to climate impacts.
Alex Haraus (left) said he met with White House officials ahead of President Biden’s decision to suspend large-scale LNG export projects. (Alex Haraus/TikTok | Getty Images)
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“I was with activists on the Gulf Coast who have been fighting this issue for years,” Halaus told Fox News Digital when asked about the meeting at the White House. “This policy shows that they have some acceptance.”
“Administrations that make concrete, measurable decisions to phase out dependence on fossil fuels will receive even more support from young people,” he added. “The White House could always go further.”
President Biden has ordered a halt to pending natural gas export projects. The action was supported by environmental activists who oppose fossil fuel development. (Getty Images)
Halaus said that while people are concerned about his conversations with the White House, “the many meetings that the fossil fuel lobby has had with the White House and the millions that the fossil fuel lobby has spent trying to skew policy… He declined to provide further details about the talks, saying he was not concerned about the US dollar. To their advantage. ”
Shortly after the White House’s announcement, Halaus posted a video cheering the decision and calling on activists to celebrate.
“Together we can change the world,” he said. “Even if you didn’t think about it before, you should think about it now.”
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In addition to the meetings Halaus said he had with officials about LNG export policy, visitor records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that Halaus had a one-time meeting with President Biden’s clean energy czar John Podesta in July. It is shown that he was allowed to have one-on-one meetings. Haraus’ TikTok timeline shows him in Washington, D.C., speaking out against cutting down old-growth trees in federal forests.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
Halaus also had a one-on-one meeting with President Biden’s clean energy czar John Podesta in July. (Getty Images)
Republicans, Democrats and energy industry groups are accusing the Biden administration of handing Russia a victory following a joint announcement by the White House and Department of Energy last month suspending licenses for LNG export terminals.
More than 150 House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), warned in a letter to Biden on Monday that pausing LNG export growth could cause U.S. energy prices to rise. He argued that this would lead to a rise in energy prices. Global greenhouse gas emissions And it will have a negative impact on the US economy.
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The letter indicates that LNG exports could add up to $73 billion to the U.S. economy by 2040, create more than 453,000 U.S. jobs, and increase U.S. purchasing power by $30 billion. pointed out research.
According to federal data updated last month, 11 projects have been given the green light by the federal government. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) But it is not yet under construction. Four additional projects are pending with FERC and two are in the pre-filing stage. These six projects are not affected by the moratorium because they have not yet been submitted to the DOE, but would be affected if approved by FERC.
