The Biden administration is expected to announce on Friday that it will begin considering climate impacts in its approvals of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, a process that will likely delay decisions on new terminals until after the Nov. 5 presidential election, two sources familiar with the matter said.
The move would come after environmentalists, an important part of U.S. President Joe Biden’s base, opposed Venture Global LNG’s Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) project in Louisiana that would be the largest LNG terminal in the U.S.
Climate activists say new LNG projects lock in global reliance on fossil fuels for decades, and lead to emissions not just from burning gas but also from leaks of the powerful greenhouse gas methane.
Venture Global was not immediately available to comment but a spokesperson said on Wednesday that a decision to do a wider review would have “the impact of economic sanction and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States.”
The Department of Energy and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici Editing by Marguerita Choy)