While the US liquefied natural gas industry continues its aggressive expansion across the Gulf Coast, every single operational export terminal in the country has violated the Clean Air Act within the last five years. All seven fully operational facilities are serial offenders. Surprise, surprise.
Cheniere’s Sabine Pass and Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass have been particularly egregious, breaking clean air regulations every quarter since October 2022. Cameron LNG isn’t far behind, racking up “high priority” violations in nearly every reporting period.
Persistent polluters rule the LNG industry, treating clean air regulations like optional suggestions while racking up violations quarter after quarter.
These aren’t minor infractions. Regulators have slapped these companies with over $1 million in penalties. But the fines clearly aren’t deterring much. The terminals keep pumping out pollution at staggering rates – 18.2 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2023 alone. That’s like adding 3.9 million cars to American roads. Just like that.
The health impacts are brutal. Current LNG export operations cause about 60 premature deaths annually, with health costs approaching $1 billion per year. If all pending and planned projects go forward? Deaths could jump to 149 annually. By 2050, existing terminals alone could cause 2,020 premature deaths and $28.7 billion in health costs. Add in the planned facilities, and those numbers nearly double.
Who suffers most? Not wealthy white folks, that’s for sure. Black Americans face pollution at rates 51-70% higher than white Americans if all approved projects are built. Hispanic Americans aren’t far behind, experiencing 10-29% higher pollution rates. Environmental justice? More like environmental racism.
The regulatory response has been lukewarm at best. Despite rampant violations, operations continue largely uninterrupted. The Biden administration’s pause on new LNG export approvals doesn’t touch already greenlighted projects. To make matters worse, state regulators in Texas and Louisiana have actually relaxed emission standards for some terminals, allowing them to pollute even more.
Meanwhile, terminals like Sabine Pass pump out nearly 7 million tons of greenhouse gases yearly. Corpus Christi follows with 3.3 million tons, and Calcasieu Pass with 3.1 million. The local communities are exposed to harmful volatile organic compounds that can damage the respiratory system and cause long-term health issues. The industry’s explosive growth continues while communities pay with their health. Some “clean” energy shift.
References
- https://www.desmog.com/2025/10/29/major-american-lng-exporters-habitually-break-air-pollution-laws-report-finds/
- https://oilchange.org/blogs/exposing-how-lng-terminals-in-the-us-are-permitted-to-kill/
- https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/permit-to-kill/
- https://www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/LNGUpdate_SummaryReport_Dec2024_230pm.pdf
- https://www.americansecurityproject.org/white-paper-strategic-implications-of-u-s-lng-exports/
