The U.S. Department of Energy last week denied a request from several environmental advocacy groups demanding the agency issue regulations that clearly define whether proposed liquefied natural gas export facilities respect the well-being of the general public, reports Louisiana Illuminator.
The Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Delaware Riverkeeper Network, Environmental America and Friends of the Earth in a joint news release allege that the federal environmental agency refused to show the public how it makes decisions about the plants, which could impact the environment and communities near LNG export facilities.
The groups had been locked in a 10-year legal fight with the DOE, which says it uses rigorous standards to approve gas export facilities but failed to lay out what those standards are, according to the news release.
More than 50 LNG projects have been approved by the DOE, half of which are in Louisiana. Read more from Louisiana Illuminator.
