Groups Respond to FERC Order to Set Aside Approval of CP2 LNG

Washington, DC - Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order setting aside its approval of the massive CP2 LNG export facility in order to update the project’s cumulative air quality impacts. FERC set a schedule for the preparation of the supplemental environmental impact statement that will include the new analysis and said it will not authorize construction of CP2 LNG until the issues identified in the order are resolved.

The decision comes in response to a request for rehearing filed by Sierra Club, NRDC, and a broad coalition of community and environmental organizations, impacted fishermen, and individuals, citing information gaps and significant flaws in FERC’s analysis and review of CP2 LNG. 

FERC’s order is in line with the recent decision by the D.C. Circuit Court to remand FERC’s approval of Commonwealth LNG given the lack of analysis into that project’s cumulative pollution impacts on local communities. 

In response, environmental and frontline community groups issued the following statements: 

Nathan Matthews, Sierra Club Senior Attorney said: “With this order, it seems FERC is finally willing to acknowledge that it has not done enough to properly consider the cumulative harm on communities caused by building so many of these LNG export terminals so close together. Prohibiting construction of CP2 LNG while FERC takes another look at the environmental impact of this massive, polluting facility is the right thing to do. Still, FERC must take concrete steps to properly evaluate the true scope of the dangers posed to communities from gas infrastructure moving forward and avoid making unwarranted approvals in the future.”

James Hiatt, Director of For a Better Bayou, said: “Through the lenses of optical gas imaging, we’ve seen massive plumes of toxic emissions, undeniable proof that these projects poison the air we breathe. Modeling must use the latest data from the most local sources to fully capture the harm these facilities inflict on Cameron Parish. Anything less is a betrayal of our community. FERC must choose justice over profit and stop sacrificing people for polluters.” 

Caroline Reiser, Senior Staff Attorney, NRDC, said: “This pause of these two massive LNG facilities is a fundamental step toward holding developers accountable for the harm they inflict on communities and the environment. Families in Southwest Louisiana have endured enough toxic emissions and health risks. In the supplemental environmental review, FERC must take meaningful action to protect the air, water, and future. Local residents deserve justice, not pollution.”

Roishetta Ozane, Founder of the Vessel Project of Louisiana, said: “As a mother living in an environmental justice community, I see firsthand how LNG facilities prioritize profit over the well-being of our families. Commonwealth and CP2  are no different. We are happy about the delay but these projects don’t ever need to be approved and neither does any other LNG facility. My children are suffering from health conditions that threaten their daily lives, all while regulatory agencies and elected officials turn a blind eye. It's time for our leaders to put people before profit and prioritize the health of our communities over the pollution that harms us. We deserve a future where our children's health is safeguarded, not sacrificed.”