Democrats continue to push for natural gas bans and electric transportation vehicles, despite their repetitive failures. Succumbing to environmentalists demands, the Biden administration has caved in and is halting the permitting process for several proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects over their potential impacts on climate change.
A joint announcement was made Friday morning between the White House and Department of Energy (DOE) which stated the pause would occur while federal officials conduct a rigorous environmental review assessing the projects’ carbon emissions, which could take more than a year to complete.
Climate activists have loudly taken aim at LNG export projects in recent weeks, arguing they will lead to a large uptick in emissions and worsen global warming. Therefore, the decision is “an unprecedented move environmentalists have demanded in recent months” writes Fox News.
“I think they’re really making a miscalculation here. This isn’t just bad policy, it’s bad politics,” former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Chair Neil Chatterjee told Fox News Digital. “We made a commitment to our European allies, to Germany, that we would be there and help them. You really should not be playing politics with energy security.”
“What’s really frustrating from the environmental perspective is that U.S. LNG actually displaces more intense fossil sources of fuel overseas,” Chatterjee said. “We have a much cleaner process than the Russians do. So, not only are we providing geopolitical assets to our allies, but U.S. LNG displacing dirtier sources of fuels actually lowers global carbon emissions. And the activists seem to be just kind of brushing over that.”
White House climate czar Ali Zaidi praised the administration: “From day one, we have stood with our allies and partners. That’s how Joe Biden leads on climate change. And when it comes to the climate crisis, we square our shoulders, we take on the challenge in front of us, we lean into the solutions and, yes, we transition globally away from fossil fuels. That is the solution, that is the strategy that the president has articulated.”
Fox News notes LNG export terminals have been opposed by Democrats and environmentalists who argue they would create harmful pollution and contribute to global warming. The issue has led to activists posting videos on social media which, over the last two months, have generated tens of millions of views.
Additionally, in December, dozens of environmental groups wrote to Granholm, imploring her to reject the LNG development “for the sake of our climate and communities.” Days later, 170 scientists penned a letter to President Biden, asking him to reject pending LNG facilities.
