Biden approves Alaska gas exports as critics condemn another ‘carbon bomb’
Energy department gives green light to exports from liquefied natural gas program, after Willow project approved last month
The Biden administration on Thursday approved exports of liquefied natural gas from the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, a document showed, prompting criticism from environmental groups over the approval of another “carbon bomb”.
The US energy department approved Alaska Gasline Development Corp’s (AGDC) project to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement, mainly in Asia. Backers of the roughly $39bn project expect it to be operational by 2030 if it receives the required permits.
The project, for which exports were first approved by the administration of Donald Trump, has been strongly opposed by environmental groups.
“Joe Biden’s climate presidency is flying off the rails,” said Lukas Ross of Friends of the Earth. Ross pointed out this was the second US approval of a “fossil-fuel mega-project” in as many months.
The Biden administration last month approved the ConocoPhillips $7bn Willow oil and gas drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, prompting criticism of Biden’s record on the climate crisis.
Alaska LNG includes a liquefaction facility on the Kenai peninsula in southern Alaska and a proposed 807-mile (1,300-km) pipeline to move gas stranded in northern Alaska across the state.
Frank Richards, the president of Alaska-owned AGDC, said the company will review the 51-page decision as it develops the project, which he said will “provide Alaskans and US allies with a significant source of low-emissions, responsibly produced energy consistent with international environmental priorities”.
The Biden administration undertook an environmental review of Alaska LNG, concluding it has economic and international security benefits and that opponents had failed to show the exports were not in the “public interest”.
The Biden administration modified the previous approval to prohibit venting of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide associated with the project into the atmosphere.
Earthjustice, an environmental law firm, said the approval of the project cleared the way for additional lawsuits seeking to stop the project.
The Biden administration is trying to approve more US LNG exports as it competes with Russia, traditionally one of the world’s largest energy exporters. Critics say the Ukraine conflict is a “false justification” for a rush to natural gas.
An expansion of LNG terminals on the Gulf coast would double or even triple current capacity to deliver natural gas, which a report by Climate Action Tracker researchers said would keep carbon emissions above levels needed for net zero.
Russia is under pressure from western sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine, and the US has boosted LNG exports to Europe after Moscow cut gas pipeline shipments to the continent. Read original full article
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Atlantis Viewpoint
As we can see from these project approvals, it I obvious that the United States wants to make money from the fossil fuels reserves that is has before they truly start cleaning up their policies.
We have known for decades how harmful fossil fuels are for our planet and the quality of the air we breathe. New projects should have been rejected or cancelled years ago. The fact that plans to extract these massive volumes of natural gas, plus only last month oil and gas, from under the Alaskan soil, seems a ludicrous idea when it is so clear how damaging this will be.
Politicians and leading economies are all saying what people want to hear but in reality they are petrified to lose the financial support that fossil fuel reserves gives to their economies. We need better economical insight to understand that energy production, domestic use and exporting will always be profitable, no matter if it comes from true clean energy or from fossil fuels. In addition, true clean energy is cheaper to produce and causes far less future problems that are costly to resolve.
If leading economies support green hydrogen and clean electricity production now, they will be able to export these to other countries and continue to generate energy profits for decades.
This desperate attempt to sell all the fossil fuels while they can, will result in disastrous consequences both financially and environmentally. Help us make true clean energy production happen so countries and business have access to the clean options they need right now.
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