Over 850 Public Comments Submitted in Opposition to Rio Grande LNG and Rio Bravo Pipeline

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TX -- Yesterday, members of the public from across Texas submitted over 850 public comments to the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) on the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Rio Grande LNG export terminal and the Rio Bravo Pipeline. The Sierra Club, together with Defenders of Wildlife, Save RGV from LNG, Shrimpers and Fisherman of the RGV, and Vecinos para el Bienestar de la Comunidad Costera, also submitted technical comments yesterday that highlighted the environmental and human impacts of the proposed fracked gas projects on local communities, fish and wildlife, and the climate. These comments also explain that FERC still hasn’t provided many of the analyses that are legally required prior to project approval.

The public comments will also be shared with executives from the French bank Société Générale, the financial adviser for the Rio Grande LNG project. Local coalition Save RGV from LNG has been working with organizations Friends of the Earth - France (FOE France) and Rainforest Action Network (RAN) to pressure the bank to drop support for the Rio Grande LNG terminal and the Rio Bravo Pipeline for the last two years. In 2017, BNP Paribas, Europe’s second largest bank, dropped its support for the proposed Texas LNG terminal, after Save RGV from LNG, FOE France and RAN issued a report condemning the bank for its support of the project in the Rio Grande Valley and coordinated an Indigenous delegation to travel to France and take their message directly to the bank.

The comment delivery for Rio Grande LNG and the Rio Bravo Pipeline follows a series of three FERC comment sessions in Kingsville, Raymondville, and Port Isabel a few weeks ago where the Save RGV from LNG coalition and local residents protested the proposed fracked gas pipelines and export terminals.

“The draft environmental impact statements  for Rio Grande LNG, Rio Bravo Pipeline, and Texas LNG all determine that the projects will have adverse impacts on our environment,” said Patrick Anderson, a member of Save RGV from LNG. “With recently released reports from both the United Nations and the US government telling us we must take bold and urgent action to address our climate crisis, it is clear that it is in the public interest for FERC to deny these permits.”

“The Rio Grande LNG terminal would be the biggest polluter in the Rio Grande Valley region. Building the Rio Bravo Pipeline would seize land for a fracked gas pipeline that will be prone to explosions and leaks in Texas, which is known for ineffective pipeline safety,” said Rebekah Hinojosa, Brownsville Sierra Club Organizer. “Residents are sending comments and protesting to stop all three LNG companies from receiving a federal permit to build and spew toxic pollution into our communities. The only way that FERC can keep our communities safe from LNG is by denying their permits.”

None of the three LNG terminals proposed for the Rio Grande Valley, Rio Grande LNG, Texas LNG, and Annova LNG, nor the Rio Bravo Pipeline, have received approval to build anything. The deadline for public comments for Texas LNG’s draft environmental impact statement is December 17. Annova LNG’s draft environmental impact statement still has yet to be released and is expected in December. FERC officials are expected to release a final environmental impact statement for Rio Grande LNG in April and a decision on its permit in July.