ENERGY DEPARTMENT CONDITIONAL AUTHORIZATIONOF LNG EXPORTS FROM LAKE CHARLES EXPORTS, IN LOUISIANA

Washington, D.C. -- The Energy Department announced today that it has conditionally authorized the natural gas terminal in Lake Charles, LA to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG). 

In response, Deb Nardone, director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Natural Gas campaign, issued the following statement: 

"With the Department of Energy (DOE) today conditionally authorizing Lake Charles Exports to export gas from a liquefied natural gas terminal in Louisiana, it is deeply disappointing to see that Secretary Moniz persists in leading the nation and the world to into a dirty energy future. It's a bad deal all around: for public health, the environment, and America's working people.  The economic study the DOE itself commissioned clearly states that LNG export will transfer wealth from wage earners to fossil fuel executives.  LNG export is nothing but a giveaway to the dirty fuel industry, at the expense of every day Americans.

"Exporting LNG to foreign buyers will lock us into decades-long contracts, which in turn will lead to more drilling -- and that means more fracking, more air and water pollution, and more climate fueled weather disasters like record fires, droughts, and superstorms like last year's Sandy.  And all this when we know that the dangers of natural gas will only become more clear as we learn more about its effects on health and the climate. 

"As we have shown, once environmental impacts are evaluated, it becomes clear that the additional fracking and gas production exports would induce is unacceptable. DOE did not consider these impacts or any other impacts in today's conditional authorization. Instead, DOE is basing its decision on environmental reviews that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has yet to conduct. When these environmental impacts are considered, it is clear that natural gas needs to stay in the ground, and the administration needs to double down on clean energy like wind and solar that would protect us from the worst effects of climate change while putting Americans to work."

"The Sierra Club is closely monitoring the FERC proceeding and all permits and approvals that the Lake Charles facility will require, and will take action as necessary."