Environmental groups call for denying support to LNG exports

Friends of the Earth informed that 114 public interest, environmental and faith groups submitted a letter to Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz urging him not to support liquefied natural gas exports.

In July, Sen. John Hoeven introduced S. 2638, the Natural Gas Export Certainty Act of 2014, which would expedite the approval of applications to export LNG. In November, Sen. Hoeven was quoted saying that Sec. Moniz was willing to support the bill with some modifications.

“This bill, and others like it, would signal to the energy industry that the Obama administration supports LNG exports and lead to increased investment, and therefore more fracking and more greenhouse gas emissions,” said Kate DeAngelis, Climate and energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth.

Studies by the Department of Energy and the European Commission have suggested that the huge amounts of energy required to liquefy natural gas actually make the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from liquefied natural gas worse for the climate than coal, claims FOE. The production process for LNG almost doubles the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional natural gas. A Cornell University review of the scientific research also found that even conventional natural gas emits more greenhouse gas emissions than coal or oil.

FOE marks fracking as a serious danger to the public and the climate. According to the environmental group, fracking damages air quality and water resources, leads to an increase in earthquakes, and emits large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 87 times as potent as carbon dioxide over a 20 year timeframe. FOE believes the administration underestimates the seriousness of this fracking byproduct by using outdated warming potentials and incorrect leakage estimates from wells.

[mappress mapid=”16325″]

LNG World News Staff; Image: DOE