FedGov indefinitely delays approval of massive Louisiana LNG projects

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TheAdvocate

In a potential victory for environmental advocates, the Biden administration is apparently putting pressure on a federal agency to delay approvals of U.S. liquefied natural gas export terminals, particularly a controversial plant on the southwest Louisiana coast, amid calls from environmentalists to stymie LNG projects altogether, according to a New York Times report.

The White House has told the Department of Energy to broaden its review of CP2 LNG to consider its impact on climate change, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources. The newspaper also reported that any changes to CP2's review process would be applied to other LNG projects in the U.S. regulatory pipeline.

Department of Energy officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officials from Venture Global LNG, the company behind CP2, said the White House was attempting to “force policymaking through leaks to the media.”

“If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire US LNG industry,” Venture Global spokesperson Shaylyn Hynes said in a statement. “Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States. The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal.”

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Announced in 2021, CP2 is the third planned terminal from Venture Global, a Virginia-based company that plans to build a four-terminal LNG empire along Louisiana’s Gulf of Mexico coast. It would be built on land at the mouth of the Calcasieu Ship Channel next to Calcasieu Pass, Venture Global's existing terminal.

If it comes to fruition, CP2 would pump out about 20 million tons of LNG annually, which would make it the second-largest LNG exporter in the nation, behind the 27-million-ton Sabine Pass at the Louisiana-Texas border, according to the latest Energy Information Administration estimates. Only Driftwood LNG’s proposed 27.6 million-ton output would be higher, though that project's future is in question.

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