Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC – The Biden Administration announcement of a Joint Action Group for Energy Security and Affordability with the government of the United Kingdom sends a concerning signal to industry and investors about the White House’s long-term dedication to the expanded extraction and export of methane gas. The deal, while it includes some modest energy efficiency and clean energy goals, runs contrary to the administration’s stated climate and environmental goals, would harm communities on the frontlines of expanded or new export facilities, and hurt consumers dealing with high energy prices.
Methane gas, commonly referred to as “natural” gas, is a global commodity tightly linked to volatile global markets that are exposed to price shocks, like those the market has seen following Russia’s war in Ukraine. New or expanded liquified methane gas (LNG) infrastructure build-out would do little to help our European allies due to the fact that construction takes years. Instead, the industry is hoping to lock the world into gas use for decades to come. The real long-term solution to energy security is in the clean energy transition, something our European allies are undertaking expeditiously. Clean energy is cheap, abundantly available, and renewable.
The International Energy Agency recently released its annual World Energy Outlook and said, “No one should imagine that Russia’s invasion can justify a wave of new oil and gas infrastructure in a world that wants to reach net zero emissions by 2050.” Additionally during the COP27 climate conference, Climate Action Tracker released a new analysis that found that new and expanded LNG exports will make it impossible to achieve global climate targets. In the US alone, lifecycle emissions from full operation of the existing and proposed US LNG export facilities would contribute to the climate crisis as much as 640 coal plants or 515 million cars, according to the Sierra Club analysis.
In response, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Cathy Collentine issued the following statement:
“America should be a leader in the global movement towards clean, renewable energy, not polluting our communities at home and exporting more and more of our dirty fuels abroad. This recent announcement is counter to the climate action that our country needs and the commitments this administration has made to protect those on the frontlines of the climate crisis in communities that for too long have borne the burden of polluting facilities. We cannot continue to promote gas exports as a part of the global energy solution.”
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.