The Sierra Club recently filed an objection with the Department of Energy (DOE), asking that an LNG export facility proposed by Dominion Cove Point in Cove Point, Md., be denied. Specifically, the Sierra Club argues that allowing Marcellus Shale gas to be exported from the facility would raise gas and electricity prices across the country and expand destructive natural gas fracking.
The Club wants DOE to prepare an environmental impact statement to assess the environmental effects of increased fracking in the Marcellus that would come as a result of approving the project.
Liquefied natural gas is not only the dirtiest and most polluting form of gas, but it also requires an increase in fracking, a process we know to be unsafe and dangerous, said Deb Nardone, director of Sierra Club’s Natural Gas Reform Campaign. “The industry is pushing forward with these export facilities with their profits in mind, not the families who will bear the burden of increased fracking.”
Sierrans have also pointed out that exporting natural gas belies the industry’s claim that more gas is required for domestic use and to improve national security by reducing energy imports.
The Sierra Club has also filed protests against LNG projects in Sabine Pass, La., and Coos Bay, Ore.