On a cold and rainy day in December, residents on the frontlines of liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal buildout in the Gulf Coast headed to FERC to condemn the agency’s unanimous approval of the Commonwealth LNG export terminal and demand they reject all future gas export terminals. The decision came just weeks after several FERC commissioners and staff participated in community led toxic tours in Texas and Louisiana showcasing the cumulative impact of the continued extraction of fossil fuels.
Travis Dardar, an Indigenous fisherman from Cameron Parish Louisiana, and James Hiatt, a former oil industry worker and now an organizer with Louisiana Bucket Brigade, traveled to Washington, DC to attend the December FERC open meeting. Their goal was to learn more about the FERC decision-making process and connect with FERC staff and commissioners. The organizers also connected with national policy advocates during a pre-FERC meeting press conference that was hosted at the offices of the Niskanen Center and livestreamed on Act.TV. Watch the full press conference below:
Dardar and Hiatt then traveled over to Rossyln, Virginia to find the United States headquarters of Venture Global LNG, one of the largest LNG companies in the world. The red dots indicate the existing Venture Global LNG facilities located in Texas and Louisiana off the Gulf of Mexico. The original image can be found on the Venture Global LNG website.
Venture Global has four major facilities in the gulf coast regions of Texas and Louisiana and recently asked FERC to approve additional expansions to their facility in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana.