Gulf Coast Fossil Fuel Facilities Struggle with Hurricane Season Challenges

Freeport LNG, a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal located in Southeast Texas, experienced a significant explosion in 2022. Recently, the facility reported flaring incidents due to power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl to state regulators. Similarly, Formosa Plastics Corporation, known for its 2019 $50 million settlement over plastic pellet pollution in Texas waterways, also reported flaring issues. Marathon Petroleum, operating a refinery in Texas City, disclosed a “safe combustion of excess gases,” but did not specify the volume or duration of the flaring.

Flaring, which releases toxic emissions, is a common issue in the industrialized Gulf Coast region even under normal conditions. However, power outages and flooding from increasingly severe storms can exacerbate pollution levels, affecting wetlands and residential areas.

Shaq Cossé, a program manager with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an environmental justice organization, examined reports of recent flaring events in Texas. He warned that these incidents should alert federal regulators who are considering expanding LNG export terminals in neighboring Louisiana. In Cameron Parish, an existing terminal has already caused disruptions to local fisheries and sparked protests. Venture Global, the same company behind the Cameron Parish terminal, is also constructing a new facility in Plaquemines Parish, a low-lying area prone to frequent storms and hurricanes.

Cossé criticized federal and state agencies for inadequately addressing future sea level rise, land subsidence, and the increased intensity of hurricanes resulting from climate change when permitting these facilities. “Despite extensive flood defenses, these facilities can become isolated by surrounding water,” Cossé stated.

Medical professionals also urged the Biden administration to reject plans for additional fossil fuel infrastructure in hurricane-prone areas. In an open letter to President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, a coalition of 23 climate groups representing 67,000 health professionals urged the Energy Department to factor public health considerations into decisions about new LNG export terminals.

Mark Vossler, president-elect of Physicians for Social Responsibility, emphasized that the use of LNG causes significant human harm. He called for scaling back LNG infrastructure and requested that the Department of Energy assess the health impacts throughout the entire lifecycle of fossil gas when evaluating new facilities.

Gas extracted from extensive fracking operations is transported to Freeport LNG and other terminals along the Texas and Louisiana coasts, where it is liquefied and shipped abroad. Despite recent storm damage across the Gulf Coast, the industry continues to expand LNG terminal construction to meet global demand, particularly from Asia.

Venture Global has recently obtained a critical permit for CP2, a controversial LNG terminal proposed near its existing facility in Cameron Parish, which has faced over 100 air permit violations in just two years. In Plaquemines Parish, the company is constructing a 26-foot seawall to protect the new terminal from storm surges.

Cossé highlighted the impact of Hurricane Ida in 2021, which flooded the Plaquemines LNG site, disrupted the majority of U.S. oil refining and gas production, and caused severe damage to a Phillips 66 refinery. However, Venture Global is still awaiting Energy Department approval for international gas exports before construction on CP2 can proceed. The Biden administration has currently paused gas export permits while reviewing the approval process, though a federal judge in Louisiana recently lifted this pause. Environmentalists argue that the administration still has the opportunity to update its public interest criteria regarding new terminals on the Gulf Coast.

In their letter to Biden and Granholm, medical experts urged regulators to consider the entire lifecycle of fossil gas, which releases climate-warming methane at every stage from extraction to end-use. They emphasized that the negative health impacts disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities.

Roishetta Ozane, an environmental justice advocate and founder of Vessel Project of Louisiana, highlighted the severe effects of fossil fuel pollution on communities. Living in Lake Charles, Louisiana, near the Texas border, Ozane described how petrochemical facilities often pollute the air, leaving it smelling of chlorine or rotten eggs. Recently, an explosion at one such facility forced residents to shelter in place just before Hurricane Beryl hit and caused flooding in the area.

Ozane criticized the state regulators tasked with protecting communities from industrial pollution, pointing to incidents like the 2020 CO2 pipeline explosion in Satartia, Mississippi, and the Freeport LNG explosion. She argued that the focus should be on repairing and cleaning up existing infrastructure rather than permitting new projects.

“We need the Biden administration to take decisive action on the public interest determination for LNG exports,” Ozane stated. “I’m here fighting for my community and my children’s future.”