US aims to be the top LNG exporter, Gulf residents fear rising damage, UA war made demand greater.

As natural gas expands in Gulf, residents fear rising damage. Greenhouse gases are fueling extreme weather, from wildfires to violent storms like the ones that have pummeled the Gulf.

Russia-Ukraine conflict made demand for LNG even greater.

In January, the US hit the LNG export record of 7.22 million tons and became the world’s largest exporter for the first time, surpassing the Middle Eastern powerhouse Qatar and the champion of 2021 – Australia.

From there, the US and Qatar started a two-horse race for dominance in the global LNG market. After the US held the top spot for 3 months, Qatar reclaimed the crown in April with 7.5 million tons of LNG export, according to data from Bloomberg and Reuters.

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict made demand for LNG even greater, especially in Europe, the crisis is spurring even greater interest in ramping up natural gas exports from the Gulf Coast.

Aside from the existing 5 LNG terminals along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana, there are currently 16 new terminals and expansion projects proposed or under construction, according to a motion graphic from the Associated Press.

However, the move, though profitable, is described to be controversial, which does not mix well with President Biden’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. In southwest Louisiana, the flare at the Venture Global LNG Calcasieu Pass terminal burns day and night, which is quite alarming to the surrounding neighborhoods.

“You saw the black smoke coming off of the flare. It’s been puffing. Some days it’s much worse than you see it right now,” said John Allaire, a Louisianian living near the Calcasieu Pass terminal. He showed the media around a lush marshland near his house, where a future terminal will be.

“Instead of all this estuary and all this water, emerging marshland, it’s going to be concrete,” Allaire sighed.

Officials at another Gulf Coast export facility, Cameron LNG, say they reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 10% from 2020 to 2021. But the LNG industry’s overall emissions are still substantial – in 2020, the four LNG export terminals currently operating on the Gulf Coast emitted a total of nearly 10 million tons of CO2 equivalent.

Some say the economic benefits of LNG far outweigh the risks. They point to tax revenue and jobs generated by the facilities. Even so, the impact of fossil fuel emissions on the climate is a real concern for some Gulf Coast residents who have been hit by worsening hurricanes.

In low-income neighborhoods at Lake Charles, Louisiana, severe hurricanes caused long-term damage to the structures. As these homes are no longer livable, according to the organizer of Healthy Gulf Roishetta Ozane, the whole community was “wiped out.”

“We’re watching you all,” said Lydia Larce, a Lake Charles resident who lost her home to a hurricane, “Just flourishing in your gas industry while we are suffering in your filth and the climate.”

Furthermore, some LNG neighbors pointed out that building more terminals right now will not help ease energy shortage right away. Based on their experience, it would take years to build more of these facilities, and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine would be long gone by then.

“It’ll be a monument to short-term planning and short-term money,” said Allaire, “And then we'll go on to the next thing.”