The Need for Careful Study and Sound Strategies on Liquefied Natural Gas Export

A joint statement from several environmental organizations to President Barack Obama urging the development of a national strategy for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports based on comprehensive economic and environmental assessments.

• The Department of Energy (DOE) is considering proposals to export up to 45% of US natural gas production, which the authors argue would increase domestic energy prices, harm US manufacturing and the middle class, and increase methane emissions due to the expansion of hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
• The authors claim that LNG is the most carbon-intense form of natural gas on a life-cycle basis because of the energy required for production and transport, as well as increased methane emissions, thereby risking the worsening of climate change.
• The authors criticize a DOE-commissioned economic study by NERA Consulting as flawed, asserting that it downplays the fact that LNG exports would reduce national incomes for ordinary Americans by billions of dollars while benefiting the ultra-rich.
• The statement argues that at least two-thirds of natural gas produced for export would come from fracking in unconventional fields, necessitating a full environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess air and water pollution risks.
• There is a concern that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, in its current form, could prevent the US Administration from conditioning or denying export licenses to gas markets even if such exports harm the domestic economy and public health.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2013). The Need for Careful Study and Sound Strategies on Liquefied Natural Gas Export. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/LNG_Letter_Mar2013.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. The Need for Careful Study and Sound Strategies on Liquefied Natural Gas Export. 2013. https://www.ciel.org/Publications/LNG_Letter_Mar2013.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=The Need for Careful Study and Sound Strategies on Liquefied Natural Gas Export |date=11 March 2013 |url=https://www.ciel.org/Publications/LNG_Letter_Mar2013.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2013need, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{The Need for Careful Study and Sound Strategies on Liquefied Natural Gas Export}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/Publications/LNG_Letter_Mar2013.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }