Grace Nolan, grace@team-arc.com
Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, just weeks after frontline community members traveled from New York City’s climate week to Washington D.C. to share their concerns about the unchecked approval of dangerous fossil fuel projects, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) greenlit two requests to build even more dangerous Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and fracked gas infrastructure. Despite objections about the economic, public health, and climate impacts, FERC rubber-stamped Venture Global’s request to increase construction of its Plaquemines LNG project to 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and an expansion to the high-profile Gas Transmission Northwest (GTN) Xpress fracked gas pipeline.
Plaquemines LNG will be one of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals in the United States. Already, the construction of this project has disrupted the lives of the people who have lived in the parish for generations due to increased traffic, pipelines, sound and light pollution, and the destruction of acres of wetland – and fast-tracked construction will only exacerbate these issues.
“The facility discussed today, Plaquemines LNG and its associated pipeline, are in Plaquemines Parish. Residents there have not had drinking water for months, and the parish needs urgent intervention to fix the water supply and make sure their most basic needs are met,” said Anne Rolfes, Director of Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “Now is not the time for the Biden Administration to rubber stamp an abusive company that has continued to stress the municipal water supply, even in the midst of this crisis. FERC is supposed to protect the public interest. The clear course of action is to stop construction of Plaquemines LNG and tend to the water crisis there. People - not a giant corporation - should be prioritized.”
Once built, the emissions from burning the fracked gas at Plaquemines LNG would be roughly equivalent to the emissions from 42 coal plants or 35.8 million cars. Situated on the Gulf Coast in Plaquemines Parish, local community members, scientific experts, and environmental groups warn that Plaquemines LNG is extremely susceptible to extreme weather – like hurricanes and flooding – and in the face of disaster, will leave the surrounding area at risk. Environmental and community organizations are concerned about FERC approving Venture Global’s request to fast-track construction at its Plaquemines LNG site due to drinking water emergency in Plaquemines Parish and the company’s numerous air permit violations at one of its other facilities, Calcasieu Pass LNG.
“The effects of climate change are being felt in real time in places all over the country, but especially in Plaquemines Parish and other communities in southern Louisiana who are facing a drinking water crisis caused by drought and sea level rise,” said Jessi Parfait, Louisiana Field Manager for Sierra Club. “Extracting and exporting gas is not compatible with the climate goals we must achieve if we are to avoid making the situation even worse. FERC must halt construction at Plaquemines LNG right now and reassess the environmental and community impacts of the construction and operation of this facility in the face of the circumstances that have changed since the project was first permitted.”
In a supplemental comment recently submitted by Healthy Gulf, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and the Sierra Club, the organizations call on FERC to “exercise its authority and deny Plaquemines LNG’s amendment request because expedited construction will further deplete freshwater resources” and to “require that Plaquemines LNG halt the use of all freshwater resources until the emergency has subsided, as continued use of fresh water for construction will exacerbate the problem and decrease the amount of freshwater resources available for public use and welfare.”
Despite the widespread opposition from local community groups and Members of Congress, FERC additionally approved an expansion to the GTN Xpress fracked gas pipeline – allowing TC Energy to increase compression in an aging methane pipeline in order to push large quantities of gas from Canada into the Pacific Northwest and California. It is expected to emit the equivalent of 3.47 million tons of CO2 every year for at least the next 30 years – which would be like adding 754,000 cars to the road each year until 2052. TC Energy is the same company that was behind the failed Keystone XL pipeline & the Columbia Gas Transmission pipeline explosion in Virginia.
“FERC failed to listen to Senators, Governors, State Attorneys General, Tribes, and the public in its rubber stamp of unnecessary fracked gas in the Northwest,” said Audrey Leonard, Staff Attorney of Columbia Riverkeeper. “The Commission’s decision violates the public interest and common sense, and we will file a petition for rehearing challenging this project. Since the analysis for this project was published, two major TC Energy pipelines have failed, causing safety hazards and spilling fossil fuel. If this were to happen in dry, rural, fire-prone lands or in the residential areas where TC Energy’s GTN pipeline is located, it would be catastrophic.”
Today’s LNG and fracked gas approvals are the latest among many others that have faced widespread opposition due to the climate, environmental justice, and economic impacts. FERC and the Biden Administration received immense pressure and criticism from local advocates, environmental groups, and members of Congress for their approvals of the Alaska LNG project as well as Rio Grande LNG, Texas LNG, and the associate Rio Bravo pipeline. According to Sierra Club analysis, the overall direct and indirect emissions of all existing and proposed LNG export terminals would be equivalent to 688 coal plants or 554 million gasoline-powered cars annually, putting domestic and global climate targets out of reach.
Following this meeting, FERC and the Biden Administration will soon consider the approval of Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) LNG – a proposed terminal that would be the largest volume of LNG ever approved for export. FERC could consider approval for this project as soon as its November open meeting.
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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.