Though there are 8 more LNG facilities that are permitted and not yet built that will not be paused, this is still extremely good and important news. It means that finally there is recognition by the all-important federal regulators of the many factors that add to the real costs of using methane/natural gas as an energy source. Not only are the costs that we have been pointing out since 2008 – of all the health impacts where the drilling and infrastructure resides, but also that the decline rate of the wells requires continued expansion of drilling, that the cost of the subsidies and exemptions held by the oil and gas industry are very large, that the life-time emissions of the gas places it even worse that using coal or oil (neither will be necessary as renewables come further on-line), and the waste is and will further hurt our environment and health, but now the global climate impact is finally being recognized!

In our immediate area, this could mean the end of both the Gibbstown and Penn America’s Chester proposed LNG export terminals, which would also stop the potential transport of explosive LNG through communities less than 50 feet from rail or roadways. Less export will mean less drilling.

We will keep you informed as things move forward and keep pushing for more progress toward a safe, renewable fossil-free future. B. Arrindell, Director, DCS

Joe Biden’s administration has hit the brakes on the US’s surging exports of gas, effectively pausing a string of planned projects that have been decried by environmentalists as carbon “mega bombs” that risk pushing the world further towards climate breakdown.

On Friday, the White House announced that it was pausing all pending export permits for liquified natural gas (LNG) until the Department of Energy could come up with an updated criteria for approvals that consider the impact of climate change.

The pause, which will likely last beyond November’s presidential election, could imperil the future of more than a dozen gas export terminals that have been planned for the Gulf of Mexico coast. According to one analysis, if all proposed LNG projects go ahead and ship gas overseas, it will result in 3.2bn tons of greenhouse gases – equivalent to the entire emissions of the European Union.

Continue reading in The Guardian