The US is now the world’s largest exporter of gas and plans to triple that amount in less than ten years if we don’t collectively intervene. Galvanized by the war in Ukraine and the EU energy crisis, the US industry and political allies are seeking to lock in as much gas export infrastructure as possible, as fast as possible. If all projects are approved, GHG emissions from DOE-authorized LNG exports would be 3.9 gigatons annually, greater than one thousand coal-fired power plants. The third wave of US LNG expansion won’t come online until 2028 or later and will compete with renewable energy and energy conservation, not fossil fuels. 

The vast majority of proposed gas export terminals are in poor black, brown and indigenous communities in the Gulf South. No interstate gas pipeline or gas export terminal can be built or gas exported without the approval of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and Department of Energy (DOE). Despite their importance, environmental and climate advocates have not focused a great deal of attention on specific gas issues with FERC or the DOE until recently. This is an opportunity that COGO is addressing. The Administration is now considering an overhaul of the “public interest determination”, the process by which it approves LNG export licenses for new facilities. This would be a major break from the status quo for the Department of Energy that has thus far rubber-stamped every LNG export license application. We need to work together to redefine the Public Interest so that it centers consumer price impacts, climate, and environmental justice.