The US Appeals Court for the District of Columbia denied three Sierra Club petitions for reviews of US Department of Energy approvals for LNG exports from terminals at Cove Point, Md.; Sabine Pass, La.; and Corpus Christi, Tex. The Nov. 1 denials rejected the environmental organization’s contention that local impacts from the exports should have been considered.
The Center for Liquefied Natural Gas welcomed the court’s action. “We hope today’s decision will put an end to the unnecessary and costly challenges by Sierra Club that delay LNG projects,” CLNG Executive Director Charlie Riedl said. “The facts are clear and the court agrees: The regulatory review process for US LNG projects provides a thorough review of both operational and environmental impacts before being approved.”
LNG Allies Executive Director Fred H. Hutchison also noted that the court, once again, found no merit in the Sierra Club’s challenges. He expressed hope that it and similar groups now would work with LNG export proponents “to bring the environmental benefits of US natural gas to places that still rely primarily upon dung, wood, coal, and fuel oil for heating, cooking, and the production of electricity.”
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