Over 230 Groups Urge Biden Administration to Stop CP2 & to Recognize Economic, Environmental, & Public Health Dangers of LNG Exports

***Read the letter here.***

Today, 238 climate, environmental justice, public health, faith, and community organizations sent a letter urging President Biden and Energy Secretary Granholm to seize the building momentum against LNG exports by rejecting the Calcasieu Pass 2 Liquefied Natural Gas (CP2 LNG) export facility and updating the Department of Energy’s approval process to deem LNG exports as not in the public interest. Here is an excerpt from the letter: 

“It is long past time for DOE to chart a new course on how it determines that new licenses for LNG exports are in the public interest. With the agency’s pending decision on the CP2 export application, DOE must consider climate, environmental justice, and domestic energy prices in making this determination. There is no standard under which exporting LNG should be deemed in the public interest, considering the significant climate, health, and environmental justice impacts.” 

National and local groups that signed the letter include For A Better Bayou, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, Natural Resources Defense Council, Franciscan Action Network, Friends of the Earth, Oil Change International, Food & Water Watch, Third Act, Bold Alliance, Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Oil and Gas Organizing, Vessel Project of Louisiana, Greenpeace USA, Gen-Z for Change, and many more. 

This letter comes days after frontline activists and national groups delivered over 230,000 signatures to the Department of Energy, calling on the Biden Administration to halt the permitting and construction of all proposed LNG export facilities. 

Venture Global is seeking approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to construct CP2 LNG. This export terminal would be the largest volume of LNG ever approved for export. At full volume, the lifecycle emissions of burning that much gas will add up to 190 million tonnes of CO2e each year – which is 20 times the annual emissions of the Willow Project and equivalent to the emissions from more than 42 million gas-powered cars or 51 coal-fired power plants. The letter reads: 

“CP2 LNG is a prime example of the environmental injustice of gas export expansion… [and] is emblematic of the broader trend of the ways in which LNG export expansion disproportionately impacts low-income and communities of color along the Gulf Coast, many of whom rely on coastal livelihoods and who are already overburdened by industrial pollution from the fossil fuel industry.”

Since FERC has only ever denied one proposed LNG project and DOE has never denied an LNG project, groups are urging the Biden administration to fight for environmental justice and climate action by stopping CP2 LNG and the broader LNG export buildout. The Biden administration has the authority to determine that LNG exports are not in the public interest and end the out-of-control buildout of these facilities. 

This call to action comes amid uncertainty about the Biden Administration’s direction on LNG at COP28. Despite increasing pressure and growing opposition, key officials will reportedly tout LNG expansion as the solution for transitioning to a global clean energy economy while ignoring new research from Dr. Robert Howarth – a biogeochemist and ecosystem scientist – that suggests the buildout of LNG export facilities is devastating for environmental and climate goals, with the greenhouse gas emissions of LNG export buildout in a best-case scenario being 24% worse than coal. In worst-case scenarios, Dr. Howarth found that LNG could be 274% worse than coal. 

Below are statements from organizations signed onto the letter that are leading the fight against the buildout of LNG exports: 

“They are building on top of our fishing grounds, which in their minds they think it’s not going to affect the fishing, when common sense tells you fishing will be over with,” said indigenous local fisherman and founder of Fishermen Interested in Saving our Heritage (FISH) Travis Dardar.

“There’s not a shrimper here that is catching the shrimp that we normally catch. The LNG ships are killing our waterways,” said lifelong Cameron fisherman Anthony “Tad” Theriot.

“It’s getting harder and harder to make a living. They’re destroying more and more of our estuaries…I've made a living on the water for 40 years. And each year it's getting harder and harder with less places to fish. So, yes, it's a struggle. I’m barely making it now. I've raised five kids and have 10 grandkids… I've been fishing since 1982 and I've seen the estuary washed out, washed away, pumped back in different places. It's getting harder and harder to feed the family. Where I fish along the banks, it’s been so pumped up with sludge, the fish just don't come there any more,” said veteran Cameron fisherman Eddie Lejuine.

"As a mother living close to all the industries in SWLA, the proposed CP2 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana fills me with deep concern. The potential destruction of wetlands and the increase in tanker traffic, dredging, and stormwater runoff in the Calcasieu Ship Channel would only exacerbate the existing challenges faced by the local fishing industry. Our fishermen, crabbers, oystermen, and shrimpers, who rely on these waters for their livelihoods, are already feeling the detrimental effects of the existing Calcasieu Pass and Cameron LNG facilities. It's heartbreaking to witness the impact of industrial pollution on our children's health and the future of our community,” said Roishetta Ozane, Director of the Vessel Project.

“These are desperate times for the people of lower Cameron. The fishermen, most of whom have been working the estuaries for generations, are lamenting ‘the worst year ever seen’ in the local fishing industry, largely due to the impacts of erosion, constant dredging and massive ship traffic brought by CP1. The CP2 expansion would not revitalize the region, as some have falsely claimed, but would represent yet another devastating blow to a still proud, but repeatedly ignored, mistreated, and disrespected group of Americans. Our country can do better than this,” said Lori Cooke, Southwest Louisiana Program Coordinator, Louisiana Bucket Brigade.

“Venture Global’s CP2 LNG export terminal would be the largest of its kind, presenting a triple threat to our environment and economy, and health of current and future generations. CP2 LNG jeopardizes local fishing communities whose livelihoods are at risk due to the extensive ecological damage, including the dredging of important waterways important to shrimpers and oystermen. It’s inconceivable that any government agency would permit a project that would destroy 1,700 acres of irreplaceable wetlands and other habitats that protect us against storm surges and support the wildlife that defines much of our culture. Allowing CP2 LNG to be built would be a reflection of broader negligence towards environmental sustainability at a time when we should be protecting our planet and its inhabitants from reckless industrial pursuits. Enough is enough!” said James Hiatt, Director of For a Better Bayou. 

“Approving CP2 would be totally inconsistent with President Biden's stated climate goals. We cannot avert the worst effects of climate change with the continued expansion of LNG exports. On top of the climate impacts, LNG export facilities, like CP2, poison local communities, destroy the livelihoods of generational fishermen, and drive up energy prices for people across the country. The only folks who benefit from LNG exports are Big Gas CEOs. CP2 is absolutely not in the public interest, and we urge DOE to act accordingly,” said Cathy Collentine, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. 

“CP2 is the poster child for why DOE must significantly reform its flawed approach to LNG export applications. DOE’s assumption that all U.S. LNG exports displace dirtier fuels is not backed up by actual evidence. These exports lock international customers into long-term reliance on fossil fuels and displace smarter investments in clean energy like wind and solar. Approving CP2’s exports would result in massive climate harms at home and abroad and prevent the world from meeting key climate targets. We urge the Biden administration to back its climate and environmental justice commitments and immediately reform how it reviews LNG export applications, including the environment and community-destroying CP2 project,” said Moneen Nasmith, senior attorney at Earthjustice.

“President Biden faces a choice: be a climate hero, or approve yet one more climate polluting project that could harm Louisiana communities and push us further into climate chaos. The proposed methane gas export project CP2 could produce as much greenhouse gas emissions as 32 coal plants. But President Biden can stop this project in his tracks. We implore the President to choose people and planet over padding the pockets of already wealthy oil and gas executives,” said Tim Donaghy, Research Manager at Greenpeace USA.

“As global leaders and fossil fuel executives waste time at COP, it’s critical that the Biden administration takes real action to halt climate-busting oil and gas projects, including the foolish CP2 LNG export facility. The administration made a huge mistake in approving the Willow drilling project in Alaska – the CP2 project will be 20 times worse for the planet. It’s time to put a stop to the madness. We need President Biden to act now,” said Thomas Meyer, Strategic Organizing Projects Director at Food & Water Watch.

“Approving CP2 would be totally inconsistent with President Biden's stated climate goals. We cannot avert the worst effects of climate change with the continued expansion of LNG exports. On top of the climate impacts, LNG export facilities, like CP2, poison local communities, destroy the livelihoods of generational fishermen, and drive up energy prices for people across the country. The only folks who benefit from LNG exports are Big Gas CEOs. CP2 is absolutely not in the public interest, and we urge DOE to act accordingly,” said Cathy Collentine, Director of Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign. 

“Make no mistake, this is a major moment for Joe Biden’s presidency. If the Administration rubber-stamps a carbon bomb like Venture Global’s CP2, it will forever stain President Biden’s climate legacy.” said Lukas Ross, Senior Program Manager at Friends of the Earth.