FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Contact: Jason Pitt, 202.675.6272
Sierra Club Escalates Opposition to Sabine Pass LNG Exports
Washington, D.C.—Yesterday the Sierra Club filed a protest with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reminding the agency of its obligation to consider public health and environmental damages brought on by increased fracking in the department's decision about whether to authorize liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports from Sabine Pass, LA.
"The DOE has a responsibility to protect American families from the damaging side-effects of LNG exports," said Michael Brune, Executive Director of the Sierra Club. "There is no doubt that LNG exports will mean more dangerous fracking. Blindly approving the export of this fossil fuel, while willfully ignoring the dangers associated with fracking, is reckless and puts American families at risk."
The Sierra Club's action follows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) approval of the Sabine Pass LNG export facility this week – a decision which ignored the dangers of increased fracking. The DOE is required by the Nation Environmental Policy Act to consider all environmental effects when determining if this facility is in the public's interest, including increased fracking.
The Sierra Club and its allies also recently met with and submitted a formal letter to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, urging CEQ and the Environmental Protection Agency to look into the damaging effects of increased fracking as part of their role in ensuring that proposed projects like the Sabine Pass LNG export facility meet public health protections and environmental standards.
A link to Sierra Club's protest can be found here.
A link to Sierra Club's letter to CEQ can be found here.
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