FoE Japan and FoE US submitted the comment to NEXI on potential support for Cameron LNG (Phase II)

Today, Friends of the Earth (FoE) Japan and FoE United States submitted comments to strongly discourage NEXI from supporting this or any other LNG projects in the Gulf South of the United States because of the negative impacts on local communities and the climate. 

The Cameron LNG Project is a liquefied natural gas project in Hackberry, Louisiana, USA, which produces and exports 12 million tons (4 million tons x 3 trains) of LNG. In 2022, an agreement was reached for Phase 2 development, with plans to add one LNG facility with a maximum annual production capacity of 6.75 million tons and to increase the production capacity of the three currently in operation.

SWLA has become a sacrifice zone to global dependency on LNG. Within a 40-mile radius of Cameron LNG, there are no fewer than 10 massive LNG export terminals that are already in operation or some stage of construction or planning.

Cameron LNG and other LNG export terminals operating along the Louisiana coast are extremely vulnerable to massive hurricanes that are striking the region with greater frequency. In 2020, two category 4 hurricanes hit Southwest Louisiana causing widespread damage as far as 40 miles inland. Cameron LNG sustained significant damage during Hurricane Laura in 2020, leaving it non-operational. As a result, the plant dumped more than 217 tons of methane into the air over a two-day period. 

Sempra’s Cameron LNG has been in operation for a few years and in that time has been a constant source of pollution. The LNG export terminal regularly exceeds its air permit allowances, and emits large quantities of benzene, NOx, methane, and other pollutants that cause cancer and other chronic disease, and contribute to climate change. In 2019, Cameron LNG failed to disclose a methane gas leak it experienced just one day after opening. Similarly, in 2021 the US EPA notified Cameron LNG that in 2019, Cameron LNG exceeded its permit authorization limits for criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants. These include emissions of Benzene, Carbon Monoxide, Methane, volatile organic compounds, and others. On January 6, 2021, the facility’s thermal oxidizers shut down due to gusts of wind that topped out at 43 miles per hour, resulting in a major release of methane, benzene, and volatile organic compounds. 

Cameron LNG pollutes the Calcasieu River, making it unsafe for local fishermen to harvest their shrimp, oysters, and fish in the region. Instead they are being forced out into the Gulf of Mexico increasing their costs of operations and lowering their yields and profitability. 

See the comments for more details. 

Note: NEXI, Information on the Project 【23-007】, https://www.nexi.go.jp/environment/info/a/2023051502.html