Doug Jackson, 202.495.3045 or doug.jackson@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Just a day after the Department of Energy referred to fracked gas as “freedom gas” and announced its intent to push a “regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported,” the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), has doubled down on that concept.
FERC is an independent agency tasked with regulating interstate electric, oil, and gas transmission with a neutral posture on fuel sources. The Commission is responsible for reviewing proposed gas pipelines and the energy mix to determine if they are needed, economically and environmentally sound, and in the public’s interest. FERC is also charged with analyzing the expected climate change effects of burning the gas transported by pipeline projects.
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Director Kelly Martin released the following statement:
"Poisoned water, polluted communities, and the climate crisis are not signs of freedom, they are the result of politicians beholden to corporate polluters. Fracked gas poisons the air we breathe, the water we drink, and is linked to negative health effects like premature births, breathing problems, and even cancer.
“Chairman Chatterjee’s mind-boggling decision to join the Trump administration in calling fracked gas ‘freedom gas,’ once again reveals his biases towards the dirty, dangerous fossil fuels that threaten our climate and communities. Chatterjee must follow the same rules as his colleagues on the Commission and remain an independent arbiter looking out for the interests of Americans, not cheerleading polluting corporations.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.