In Deciding to Facilitate LNG Exports, the Department of Energy “Failed” to Protect the Public Interest, Sierra Club Report Insists

摘要

According to a recent report from the Sierra Club, Look Before The LNG Leap: Why Policymakers And The Public Need Fair Disclosure Before Exports Of Fracked Gas Start, federal decision-makers, charged with protecting the public interest, are “asleep at the switch.” Craig Segall, staff attorney for the Sierra Club Environmental Law Program, prepared the report. Currently, the Department of Energy (DOE) is considering whether to approve exports of more natural gas than the entire domestic power industry burns in a year, warns the environmental group. However, DOE has not disclosed or acknowledged the environmental consequences of LNG export approval. “America risks committing itself to a permanent role as a gas supplier to the world without determining whether it can do so safely while protecting important domestic interests,” Segall cautioned.