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The White House is halting the allowing course of for a number of proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects over their potential impacts on local weather change, an unprecedented transfer environmentalists have demanded in latest months.
In a joint announcement Friday morning, the White House and Department of Energy (DOE) stated the pause would happen whereas federal officers conduct a rigorous environmental evaluate assessing the projects’ carbon emissions, which may take greater than a 12 months to finish. Climate activists have loudly taken goal at LNG export projects in latest weeks, arguing they’ll result in a big uptick in emissions and worsen world warming.
“As our exports increase, we must review export applications using the most comprehensive up-to-date analysis of the economic, environmental and national security considerations,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm informed reporters on a press name. “This action includes a pause on pending applications for exports of U.S. natural gas as LNG to non-free trade agreement countries until the department can update the underlying analyses for authorizations.”
“The U.S. is committed to affordable energy and economic opportunities for all Americans. We are committed to strengthening energy security here in the U.S. and with our allies,” Granholm continued. “And we’re committed to protecting Americans against climate change as we lead the world into a clean energy future.”
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Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated her company was “committed to protecting Americans against climate change as we lead the world into a clean energy future.” (Reuters/Mary F. Calver/File)
While it’s unclear which proposed projects the motion will have an effect on, a senior administration official informed reporters no less than two have a bigger capability and two have a smaller capability. Another official added that the pause carried out Friday will solely influence projects which have gone via the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) prolonged approval course of and are ripe for DOE approval.
According to federal knowledge up to date this week, there are 11 projects which have been green-lit by FERC however should not but below development. An extra 4 projects are pending earlier than FERC and two are in the pre-filing stage. Those six projects would not be impacted by the pause since they don’t seem to be earlier than DOE but, however they might be impacted if accredited by FERC.
“From day one, we have looked out for frontline communities from day one,” White House local weather czar Ali Zaidi stated. “From day one, we have stood with our allies and partners. That’s how Joe Biden leads on climate change. And when it comes to the climate crisis, we square our shoulders, we take on the challenge in front of us, we lean into the solutions and, yes, we transition globally away from fossil fuels. That is the solution, that is the strategy that the president has articulated.”
“As the department steps forward in this way under Secretary Granholm’s leadership, I think it’s important to note the context in which this happens,” Zaidi added. “We’re doing this weeks removed from a U.N. climate conference where the United States, under President Biden’s leadership, was out front making sure that the global community was clear-eyed about the need to transition globally away from fossil fuels.”
White House local weather czar Ali Zaidi (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
LNG export terminals have been opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who argue they might create dangerous air pollution and contribute to world warming. The problem has led to activists posting movies on social media which, over the past two months, have generated tens of thousands and thousands of views.
Additionally, in December, dozens of environmental teams wrote to Granholm, imploring her to reject the LNG improvement “for the sake of our climate and communities.” Days later, 170 scientists penned a letter to President Biden, asking him to reject pending LNG services.
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Climate activist Bill McKibben lately introduced he was organizing a civil disobedience protest outdoors the DOE’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., over the allowing of latest LNG export terminals. He stated the motion would mimic the protests that helped nationalize the Keystone XL pipeline combat throughout the Obama administration.
But proponents of extra LNG export services say the projects are important to assist meet power demand in Europe and Asia as nations look to wean off Russian natural gas provides. In the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Biden traveled to Europe and struck a cope with the European Union, vowing to ship extra U.S. LNG to the bloc.
An LNG provider ship sits docked on the Cheniere Energy terminal in {a photograph} taken over Sabine Pass, Texas. (Lindsey Janies/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images)
“I think they’re really making a miscalculation here. This isn’t just bad policy, it’s bad politics,” former FERC Chair Neil Chatterjee informed Fox News Digital. “We made a commitment to our European allies, to Germany, that we would be there and help them. You really should not be playing politics with energy security.”
“What’s really frustrating from the environmental perspective is that U.S. LNG actually displaces more intense fossil sources of fuel overseas,” Chatterjee stated. “We have a much cleaner process than the Russians do. So, not only are we providing geopolitical assets to our allies, but U.S. LNG displacing dirtier sources of fuels actually lowers global carbon emissions. And the activists seem to be just kind of brushing over that.”
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This month, power associations Eurogas and the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) issued robust statements of help for continued allowing of U.S. LNG export terminals. Eurogas reiterated such exports have been essential for making certain the complete section down of Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas, whereas ANGEA added U.S. LNG is required to fulfill Asia’s decarbonization targets.
The German state-owned power firm Securing Energy for Europe stated in a latest letter to Granholm that U.S. LNG is “vital for Germany’s energy security.” That firm has already entered into a purchase order settlement with no less than one proposed LNG export terminal challenge in Louisiana.
A tank automotive transporting LNG is pictured in Germany. (Bodo Marks/image alliance by way of Getty Images)
“This would be a win for Russia and a loss for American allies, U.S. jobs and global climate progress,” American Petroleum Institute (API) CEO Mike Sommers stated after stories of the actions emerged Wednesday.
“There is no review needed to understand the clear benefits of U.S. LNG for stabilizing global energy markets, supporting thousands of American jobs and reducing emissions around the world by transitioning countries toward cleaner fuels,” Sommers continued. “This is nothing more than a broken promise to U.S. allies, and it’s time for the administration to stop playing politics with global energy security.”
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API joined a letter to Granholm alongside dozens of different fossil gasoline trade associations on Wednesday, calling for the power secretary to permit LNG export allowing to proceed apace. They wrote that LNG exports “insulate American consumers from increasing global instability while advancing American national interests and ensuring the energy security of key U.S. allies.”
In addition, proponents of elevated LNG exports have famous that transitioning the world’s financial system to extra natural gas reliance would additionally assist guarantee nations meet decarbonization targets. Without elevated LNG, they argue, nations would rely extra closely on coal-fired energy technology, which has a a lot bigger carbon footprint when burned than natural gas energy technology.
The trade letter to Granholm famous that the U.S. has led the world in carbon emissions reductions thanks in massive half to higher reliance on natural gas. Coal produced the biggest share of electrical energy generated in the U.S. for a long time till 2015, when natural gas surpassed it.
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