Advocates React to DOE Analysis on LNG
Analysis Finds Major Economic, Climate, Health, and National Security Risks from LNG Exports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: December 17, 2024
Press Contact: grace@team-arc.com
Advocates React to DOE Analysis on LNG
Analysis Finds Major Economic, Climate, Health, and National Security Risks from LNG Exports
NATIONWIDE — Advocates just concluded a press call responding to the Biden Administration’s Department of Energy long-awaited, critical analysis of the impacts of liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. The findings provide clear evidence of LNG’s climate, economic, national security, and public health dangers. These findings can now be incorporated into the Department of Energy’s future decision-making processes on LNG export authorizations and provide a solid legal foundation for challenges to LNG permits on the grounds that they are not in the public interest.
LNG exports in the United States have rapidly increased in recent years, harming public health, devastating the environment, raising prices for families, and threatening national security. New peer-reviewed research indicates that the climate impact of LNG is even greater than coal. Nevertheless, the oil and gas industry is seeking to build on its record profits by rapidly increasing the US’s LNG export capacity – even as demand drops in Europe and security concerns rise around exports via China.
President Biden’s historic action to pause and evaluate the impacts of new LNG exports earlier this year created the opportunity to change the status quo. This subsequent analysis provides a clear opportunity to ensure that decisions about LNG exports finally put the public's needs ahead of industry profits. While the DOE’s analysis was drafted, 600,000 Americans weighed in to tell the Biden Administration to act to curb LNG exports, including climate scientists, public health professionals, consumer advocates, veterans, national security experts, lawmakers, over 500 domestic and international organizations, and frontline community members.
Now, DOE will open a 60-day comment period on the draft analysis. Advocates plan to use this opportunity to ensure the analysis is as comprehensive as possible in capturing the dangers of LNG exports and urge the Administration to acknowledge the findings of the analysis by rejecting all pending LNG export permits, as they are not in the public interest.
In response, advocacy leaders issued the following statements:
