November 1, 2024

Secretary Granholm

U.S. Department of Energy

1000 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20585

Dear Secretary Granholm, 

CC: President Biden, Vice President Harris

Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation

We, community members of Pennsylvania, are deeply concerned about the buildout of liquefied methane gas, known as LNG, export facilities and the serious threats they pose to public health, safety, the economy, the climate, and our country’s national security.

We are advocates and residents of the communities in the Commonwealth that would be some of the most impacted if the fossil fuel industry continues with an unchecked and limitless LNG buildout. Our message is clear: The Biden-Harris Administration’s pause on new LNG was a significant first step, but the Department of Energy (DOE) must go further to ensure the public interest, the health and safety of our communities, the strength of our economy, and the future of our country are prioritized going forward. 

The United States is already the world’s leading producer and exporter of LNG. The DOE’s pause and assessment will not change this fact, as existing facilities can and will continue to operate. But, it is vital to understand what the status quo means for Pennsylvania families and our nation.

The LNG export facilities that have sprung up in recent years extract gas by fracking, liquefying it, and then exporting it overseas. If the DOE allows LNG exports to continue unchecked, these projects will proceed without critical reviews of their environmental, economic, and public health impacts.  Expanded fracking subjects our communities to increased health risks and exacerbates the already unjust environmental burdens placed on us. These concerns are reflected in a September 2024 poll where over 90% of Pennsylvanians support stricter regulations on fracking companies and their operations. We know fracking for gas will continue to contaminate our air, groundwater, and surface water in Pennsylvania, which has serious health effects such as childhood cancer and congenital disabilities. Even more concerning, recent reporting has revealed that the health and safety risks around LNG export terminals are mostly hidden from the public due to outdated federal regulations that have allowed the industry to operate in secrecy. 

LNG exports not only threaten our health but also drive up our energy bills. The dangers and costs of the LNG exports that have been driving fossil fuel industry profits are extensive and cannot be captured by merely considering the impact on the industry’s bottom line. Instead, we urge you to consider the bottom line for Pennsylvania families. Currently, as a result of exporting LNG, domestic consumers will face billions in higher energy costs, with household energy bills in Pennsylvania estimated to be 8% higher as a result. As the LNG industry eyes our communities as the home for more fossil fuel pipelines and associated gas infrastructure, we implore you to take a hard look at what these projects mean for our community’s bottom line and the costs that our families will bear. It is our wallets that will take yet another hit during a time when it’s already difficult to meet the costs of our most essential needs.

The LNG export buildout also undermines the progress that the Biden-Harris Administration has made to protect Environmental Justice communities. With LNG export facilities sited primarily in low-income communities and communities of color, their impacts harm communities already overburdened by pollution from the oil and gas industry and extreme weather driven by climate change. 

Despite opposition from certain judges and elected officials, the DOE must seize this opportunity to put the public’s needs ahead of fossil fuel industry interests. This means not making decisions on any new LNG exports until the analysis used in making the Public Interest Determination (PID) is updated and backed by the most recent scientific information and properly accounts for the economic, climate, and environmental justice costs of the LNG export buildout. We urge the DOE to ensure all data used in the studies that underlie the PID includes:

• Comprehensive data on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions from existing and proposed LNG export facilities;

• A robust Environmental Justice analysis of the cumulative impacts of LNG exports and associated infrastructure necessary for LNG to function, including the full life cycle impacts of fossil gas from cradle to grave;

• An assessment of the economic damages caused by LNG export facilities to nearby communities and to other communities across the country.

The Administration’s pause was a clear win for our communities, but more is needed to ensure that this important issue is neither forgotten about nor handled in a way that results in the fossil fuel industry’s interests being prioritized over people’s health and safety and the environment. We call on the next administration to carry on what President Biden started and ensure that decisions made on LNG exports fully consider the true social, environmental, and economic costs. Once the DOE concludes its studies and public engagement period, we have every reason to believe that the evidence will show that the DOE approving more LNG exports is not in the public interest. 

We urge your immediate attention to this critical matter and look forward to your response. As leaders entrusted with our safety, we ask you to prioritize our health, our communities, and our future over the interests of the LNG export industry. 

Sincerely, 

Original Signatories

Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL)

Delaware Riverkeeper Network

Clean Air Council

PennFuture

Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania

Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter

Clean Air Action Fund

Organizational Signatories

Allegheny County Clean Air Now (ACCAN)

Beaver County Peace Links

Better Path Coalition

Breathe Easy Susquehanna County

Breathe Project

Center for Coalfield Justice

Cherokee Concerned Citizens

Citizens to Preserve Ligonier Valley

Climate Conversation Brazoria County

Climate Reality Project Pittsburgh and SWPA Chapter

Climate Reality Project: Susquehanna Valley PA Chapter

Communitopia

Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania

Damascus Citizens for Sustainability

Del-Chesco United for Pipeline Safety

Environmental Health Project

FracTracker Alliance

GreenBeams

Greenfire Coalition Writers’ Forum

Hundredfold Farm Cohousing Community

Intertwined faith community

Jewish Earth Alliance- PA

Lycoming County Progressives

Move Past Plastic (MPP)

Make the Road Pennsylvania 

Marple Safe Coalition 

Mountain Watershed Association

NEPA Green Coalition

No False Solutions PA

North Braddock Residents For Our Future

Pennsylvania Bipartisan Climate Initiative

Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light

Philadelphia Rent Control Coalition

Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania

Plastic Pollution Coalition

POWER Interfaith

Project Coffee House

Protect PT

Quittapahilla Watershed Association

Rail Pollution Protection Pittsburgh (RP3)

Reimagine Beaver County

Responsible Decarbonization Alliance (RDA)

Save Our Streams, PA

Save our Susquehanna

Three Rivers Waterkeeper

UpstreamPgh

Watchdogs of Southeastern PA (WaSepa)

West Whiteland Residents for Pipeline Safety

Westmoreland Marcellus Citizens Group

Zero Waste Ithaca

Marcus Hook Area Neighbors for Public Health

Moms Clean Air Force, Pennsylvania Chapter

Earthworks

Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC)

Food & Water Watch Pennsylvana

Make the Road PA 

People Over Petro Coalition

Sunrise Movement Pittsburgh

Watersheds of South Pittsburgh

Breathe Project 

sustainlv.org

Move Past Plastic (MPP)

Allegheny County Clear Air Now (ACCAN)

TIAA-Divest!

Protecting Our Waters

Greenfirecoalition Writers' Forum

NEPA Green Coalition

Camp White Pine

Berks Gas Truth

Third Act Pennsylvania

Move Past Plastic (MPP)

Bucks Environmental Action