Biden's LNG Export Goal Would Spell Climate Disaster

A new analysis from Food & Water Watch finds that the White House plan to greatly expand liquified natural gas (LNG) exports would create a yearly increase in climate pollution equivalent to the emissions from about 100 coal plants.

The analysis - published in the fact sheet 'LNG: The U.S. and EU's Deal for Disaster' - evaluates the consequences of the Biden administration's goal of supplying an extra 50 billion cubic meters (BCM) of LNG annually until at least 2030.

The Food & Water Watch analysis of the climate impacts of this LNG buildout finds that the full lifecycle emissions of producing and shipping this much gas would create 400 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent annually, which is roughly equivalent to the climate pollution from 100 coal plants.

In addition to increasing long-term reliance on dirty energy sources, this scheme will be incredibly expensive. The cost of that 50 BCM of gas could be between $10 billion to $19 billion per year (based on the 2022 average price for U.S. exports) - an astonishing price to pay for fuel that represents only about 12 percent of overall EU gas demand.

Clean energy solutions would provide cost savings without creating massive new sources of climate pollution. The Food & Water Watch report finds that for the same price of 50 BCM of LNG, utility scale solar could provide over 540 million megawatt hours (MWh), 11 percent more than the LNG that would be supplied could generate.

"Fossil fuel interests have seized on the Russian invasion of Ukraine to secure long-term commitments that will mean more fracking, more pipelines, and more export terminals in communities that are already forced to live alongside dangerous industrial polluters," said Food & Water Watch Research Director Amanda Starbuck. "The White House vision for delivering gas to Europe will serve to deliver climate chaos across the globe, at a moment when we simply cannot build new fossil fuel facilities at all. The White House must work with political leaders across the globe to find a safer alternative than doubling down on dirty gas."