Increasing Freeport LNG Fracked Gas Exports Will Mean Higher Energy Bills for American Families

Freeport, TX - Today, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) submitted comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) urging the department to deny fossil fuel corporation Freeport LNG’s request to increase their export volumes. Increasing Freeport LNG’s exports not only contradicts the Biden Administration’s climate goals, exporting fracked gas to overseas markets is creating a huge economic burden for ratepayers in the US, especially low-income families and communities of color.

In fact, those who use gas to heat their homes could see an increase as high as 30 to 50% in their utility bills relative to last winter, according to the Energy Information Administration. Gas exports are a leading cause of these higher prices, drawing concern from a growing number of elected officials, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Angus King (I-ME). A group representing US manufacturers recently asked the Biden Administration to limit exports to keep domestic prices stable. 

Freeport LNG CEO Michael Smith recently said in an interview with Bloomberg that he expects to see “heavy LNG demand for decades” but conveniently leaves out any mention of LNG exports’ impacts on American families, the unreliability of fracked gas to withstand severe weather events, and the volatility of the global LNG market. Freeport LNG has not yet reached a final investment decision (FID) to construct their fourth terminal and expand their operations. 

Melanie Oldham, founder of Citizens for Clean Air & Clean Water in Brazoria County, said: 

“For a working class family or a single parent, seeing a 30% increase in a utility bill could mean having to choose between food on the table or making rent on time. The Department of Energy and the Biden Administration need to understand that increasing Freeport LNG’s exports threatens our climate and puts vulnerable communities at risk. Fracked gas exports do not put us on a path towards a sustainable, renewable energy economy and would actually create financial hurdles, especially for blue collar folks in Freeport. We should not continue to prop-up this boom-and-bust industry to line the pockets of a few millionaires at the expense of our environment and working class.”

Nathan Matthews, Senior Attorney for the Sierra Club, issued the following statement:

“President Biden has laid out ambitious goals in his ‘Build Back Better’ plan to tackle the climate crisis, including slashing US emissions in half by 2030. But allowing fossil fuel companies to dramatically expand the amount of fracked gas they extract and ship overseas threatens to cancel out this progress and domestic emissions reductions. The Department of Energy needs to reject Freeport LNG’s request to increase their exports and work towards reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.”