Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Amid the global climate crisis, the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has endorsed a letter along with other Civil Society Organisations across the world calling on US President Joe Biden to expand the paused approvals for pending and future applications to export Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG, beyond new projects.
Recall that President Biden recently paused approvals for pending and future applications to export LNG from new projects, a move cheered by climate activists that could delay decisions on new plants until after the November 5 US election.
In taking the action, Biden had said “the climate crisis is the existential threat of our time” and that the US Department of Energy would conduct a review during the pause, which would look at the economic and environmental impacts of projects seeking approval to export LNG to Europe and Asia where fuel is in hot demand.
But the CSOs want the pause to range from new projects to include stopping all LNG and related fossil fuel infrastructure permits across all US federal agencies as well as a robust and democratic public comment period as part of the Department of Energy public interest review.
Acting Executive Director of ANEEJ, Leo Atakpu, said the United States of America need to lead the world in the implementation and enforcement of the Paris Climate Agreement, noting that the letter was part of an effort to both stop LNG exports in the US and LNG imports in Europe.
Atakpu, in endorsing the letter, explained that any new development of LNG and associated infrastructure in US would be antithetical to Biden’s recognition of climate crisis as “an existential threat” to the world and his commitment to environmental justice.
The letter read in part: “For too long, the fossil fuel industry has had a destructive grip on our governments. Since at least the 1970s, they have known about the harms of fossil fuels and dangers of climate change, and yet they covered it up. Government action has promoted this industry, including over the past decade when US federal policy led to a five-fold increase in US gas exports, fueled by a dramatic increase in fracking and a massive build out of infrastructure.
“In a short period, the United States went from exporting almost no LNG in 2016 to becoming the world’s top LNG exporter. The fossil fuel industry’s proposed LNG buildout would be astronomical, further jeopardizing our climate and communities.
“Taken together, if the pending projects were approved, gas exports would rise to 60percent of current US gas production, with an emissions impact of LNG exports from the United States alone exceeding that of the entire European Union. Any new development of LNG and associated infrastructure is antithetical to your recognition of climate change as an existential threat to all of us, and your commitment to environmental justice.
“The best evidence demonstrates that LNG exports are at minimum 24percent worse than coal for our climate, given the methane and other emissions associated with the entire life cycle of drilling, fracking, and then liquefaction and transportation.
“Beyond the disastrous climate impacts, the risks and impacts of LNG to public health, the environment, and energy costs are considerable, as your administration has rightly noted. Indeed, there is extensive documentation of health, environmental, and public safety impacts of fracking and LNG, with harms ranging from increasing risk of respiratory illness, cancers, increasing infant mortality, and more.
“Many of these impacts and harms disproportionately affect Black, Brown, Indigenous and low-income frontline communities. Additionally, exporting LNG serves to increase domestic energy costs.”
