Environmentalist Bill McKibben, who galvanized public efforts to block the Keystone XL oil pipeline, is now pushing to do the same thing to stop construction of huge liquefied natural gas export terminals along the US Gulf Coast.
(Bloomberg) — Environmentalist Bill McKibben, who galvanized public efforts to block the Keystone XL oil pipeline, is now pushing to do the same thing to stop construction of huge liquefied natural gas export terminals along the US Gulf Coast.
McKibben is calling for a ban on approving any new LNG export projects and pressing energy regulators to reject any LNG permitting currently under consideration.
“There’s no possible way that the public interest is best served by sucking Permian dry and shipping it overseas,” he said about oil-and-gas-rich basin in an interview with Bloomberg.
McKibben is speaking out against Venture Global Inc.’s proposed CP2 project in Louisiana in a virtual press conference later Tuesday. He said the projected fossil fuel emissions from natural gas production and LNG plants are harmful at a time when global temperatures are rising. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the US agency that oversees permitting for LNG projects, is considering another Venture Global project in Louisiana, Plaquemines LNG, on its agenda Thursday.
A spokeswoman for Venture Global said projects like CP2 are critical for regions such as Europe, which is looking to replace gas from Russian pipelines in the wake of the war with Ukraine, and that US LNG exports would reduce coal usage globally.
The US is on track to be the top global LNG exporter this year, ahead of Qatar and Australia, and has five new or expansion projects under construction in Texas and Louisiana, while other projects vie for investment and global buyers.
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