A U.S. appellate court ruled Tuesday that the expansion of two liquefied natural gas facilities in Louisiana and Texas can move ahead despite efforts by environmentalists to block the projects, FuelFix.com reports.
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Sierra Club, which sued to block the expansion of Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass terminal and the construction of Freeport LNG’s new terminal.
The court says a federal environmental analysis was limited to local impacts of a facility. It also found no evidence the new facilities would expand drilling on new lands and rather would draw from the large quantities of gas already flowing from shale fields in Texas.
The ruling comes as a relief to the oil and gas industry, which has faced increasing legal challenges from environmental groups over infrastructure projects, including LNG terminals and pipelines.
“The consequence of these rulings is that the U.S. LNG industry will continue to grow,” says Charlie Riedl, executive director of the Center for Liquefied Natural Gas.
A spokesman for the Sierra Club calls the ruling disappointing and says the conservation group planned to sue the Department of Energy, which also regulates LNG export terminals.
