Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Today, EPA Administrator Michael Regan kicked off a week-long tour through Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas to meet with marginalized communities and discuss environmental justice issues facing the region. During the tour, Gulf communities threatened by oil and gas exports, joined by environmental advocates, are calling on the EPA to protect frontline communities by stepping in and doing everything in its power to stop the expansion of fossil fuel exports.
Despite the Biden administration’s commitment to climate action and environmental justice, gas exports from the United States have continued to grow under this administration, reaching a record high in the first half of this year. There are dozens more oil and gas export facilities proposed for the Gulf Coast. If built, these projects would drive a massive increase in pollution that would put already-vulnerable communities at increased risk from the dual threats of public health effects and climate-driven extreme weather events.
This morning, 45 local and national groups sent a letter to Administrator Regan laying out opportunities for EPA to act within its authority on this critical issue. Representatives from frontline communities also plan to raise this issue with Regan at many of the stops along his tour.
“If you want to truly understand how racism is compounded by the effects of hyper-industrialization, toxic pollution, hurricanes and other climate change related disasters, then be overlooked by state and federal agencies — look no further than Port Arthur, Texas. We’re a predominantly Black, ‘majority minority’ city more than 30 times smaller than Houston, yet we still have some of the worst pollution, air quality, and cancer rates in the nation,” said John Beard, founder of the Port Arthur Community Action Network. “Despite being the host for the nation’s largest refinery, the largest SO2/3 polluter in Texas, numerous other refineries and chemical plants AND two LNG facilities, fossil fuel corporations like Sempra still want to build another export facility in Port Arthur. We are treated like a ‘sacrifice zone,’ without regard for the suffering, poverty, and health effects these plants cause. We need an agency that will prevent predatory LNG and oil companies from expanding and to stop existing facilities from polluting and poisoning our community.”
“Supporting the expansion of oil and gas exports is completely out of step with the Biden administration’s stated goal of prioritizing environmental justice,” said Sierra Club Senior Director of Energy Campaigns Kelly Sheehan. “These proposed facilities would harm Gulf Coast communities, raise energy costs for families across the country, and lock in decades of fossil fuel use abroad at a time when the science is clear that our climate can’t afford it. We urge Administrator Regan and his colleagues in the Biden administration to take a firm stance against polluting oil and gas exports.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of 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.