Senator Markey with members of the Senate Climate Change Task Force (SCCTF) and House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) alongside experts discussing LNG exports

Washington (September 26, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), co-chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force and chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety, yesterday held a bicameral meeting between the Senate Climate Change Task Force and the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) titled “Liquefied Fossil Gas (LNG): International and Domestic Impacts of the Rapid Rise in U.S. Exports.” In attendance were Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), co-chair of the Senate Climate Change Task Force, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), and several members of SEEC.

During the educational meeting, Senator Markey spoke with experts on the current international market for LNG, as well as impacts on domestic consumers and communities. Witnesses came from Europe, Asia, the Gulf Coast, and elsewhere to share firsthand impacts of LNG exports at home and abroad, and discuss how the majority of LNG is currently sold as a speculative investment to the Big Oil companies themselves – not for the energy security of our allies. They also discussed new research on LNG’s harmful climate impacts, and the devastating impacts of this infrastructure to public health and marine life.

“The United States is the world’s largest gas producer and largest LNG exporter – and growing. While the fossil fuel industry claims LNG exports are necessary for our international allies, I released a letter earlier this week with more than 100 international lawmakers, who collectively made the opposite case. Big Oil’s lies have kept us exporting fossil fuels to keep up with a global demand that doesn’t exist – just their demand for profits. Obviously, Big Oil has a business plan. But our climate-focused, people-powered, renewable-generated plan is better. It is not too late to turn the tide on this LNG wave,” said Senator Markey.

“The majority of new US LNG production will go to large international trading companies, which are betting on their ability to resell it wherever they can get the highest price. Not only is this assumption making US gas markets more volatile and costing domestic consumers, but it’s also a risky proposition as LNG demand in Northeast Asia and Europe falls. Instead, these traders will increasingly rely on growth in emerging Asian economies, where LNG faces intense price competition from cleaner, cheaper, and more secure renewable resources,” said Sam Reynolds, Research Lead, Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).

“The production of LNG is a very energy intensive process, with substantial indirect emissions of carbon dioxide from the energy needed to make and transport the fuel, in addition to those emissions when the LNG is used by the final consumer. Because of this and because of substantial emissions of methane, LNG has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than any other fossil fuels, including coal,” said Dr. Robert W. Howarth, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Environmental Biology, Cornell University.

“When you see two LNG terminals, no one is going to want to come to Spring Break in South Padre Island where you wouldn’t want to put your children in those beaches or even go into the water. Not only are we talking about the last pristine area that is untouched by industry in the Texas Gulf Coast, but it appears the state doesn’t want to invest in people, who are the most important infrastructure we have, and they’d rather pour money into LNG and extractive industries...Our legacy is to continue to fight: for our land, our water, our people, and for future generations,” said Christa Mancias, Trial Council Secretary, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas.

“The energy crisis in Europe is over. There is no need for additional gas supplies from the U.S. for Europe. Instead of expanding an already harmful fossil infrastructure we need to turn the tide and accelerate the build out of renewable energy. We need to make a choice between a second lifetime for a dirty industry and protecting climate targets and human rights,” said Constantin Zerger, Head of Energy and Climate, Environmental Action Germany (Deutsche Umwelthilfe).

“Korea and Japan, 2 largest recipients of US LNG have established fossil fuel-oriented economies at the past, but gas demand of those countries is expected to decline. International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that gas demand of both countries will decrease by half by 2050, compared to 2010 levels. As those countries' climate target strengthens, we anticipate further reductions in gas demand,” said Dongjae Oh, Head of Gas at Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC).

In the United States, there are eight currently operating LNG export terminals, seven that are under construction, 12 that are approved but not yet under construction, and six more that have been proposed. Estimates suggest all existing, under construction, and planned LNG export projects would result in roughly the same emissions as 681 new coal-fired power plants, reversing 40% of the emissions reduction potential under the Inflation Reduction Act.

On Monday, September 23, 2024, Senator Markey partnered with Representative Lisa Badum, group coordinator in the German Bundestag’s Climate and Energy Committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on International Climate and Energy Policy, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Senate and House colleagues, and leaders from around the world in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, urging the administration to reject new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports amidst the global climate crisis. Later on Monday, international lawmakers spoke about the importance of this letter at an event at the Summit for the Future in New York.

In July 2024, Senator Markey and several New England Senators sent a letter to the Department of Energy urging it to consider the disproportionate negative impacts of LNG on New England as the department considers updates to its underlying environmental and economic analyses to improve export authorization decisions for LNG.

In May 2024, Senator Markey co-led a letter with Sen Merkley and Sen Reed to thank the Biden administration for its January 2024 pause on LNG export approvals to countries without a free trade agreement on hold until evidence is reviewed and public input is taken into consideration. 

In May 2023, Senator Markey and Representative Yvette Clarke (NY-09) announced the reintroduction of the Block All New (BAN) Fossil Fuel Exports Act, legislation that would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and ban the export of American crude oil and natural gas abroad to protect frontline communities from dangerous export infrastructure, prioritize U.S. consumers against fossil fuel profiteering, and help ensure the United States meets its climate and clean energy commitments on the world stage.

In March 2023, Senator Markey and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) reintroduced the Fossil Free Finance Act, legislation that would direct the Federal Reserve to require major banks and other Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs) to stop financing projects and activities linked to increased greenhouse gas emissions and submit a plan on how they would meet these requirements. In October 2022, Senator Markey reintroduced the OPEC Accountability Act, legislation to require the U.S. President to initiate consultations with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC countries to reduce crude oil production.

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