If constructed, the export terminal would impact 718 acres of land and permanently wipe out more than 319 acres of sensitive wetlands, and its related pipeline would impact 370 more acres of wetlands and deforest 77 acres
Tellurian’s Driftwood LNG (Credit: Business Wire)
US environmental organisation Sierra Club, and its partner HealthyGulf, have filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers for granting a permit that violates the US Clean Water Act.
In March 2019, the Corps issued a ‘dredge and fill’ permit for the proposed construction of Driftwood LNG fracked gas export terminal in Calcasieu Parish in Southwest Louisiana, US.
According to Sierra Club and HealthyGulf, the permit does not meet the legal requirements to mitigate the impacts on wetlands, as required under section 404 of the Clean Water Act.
The Corps permitted Driftwood LNG, even after receiving several comments from various members of the concerned community and environmental experts, argued the organisations.
If constructed, the export terminal is said to impact 718 acres of land and permanently wipe out more than 319 acres of sensitive wetlands.
In addition, construction of the related pipeline would impact 370 more acres of wetlands and deforest 77 acres of wetlands.
Sierra Club said that the lands serve as essential barriers to natural storm hurricanes and help prevent flooding, and host a diverse ecosystem of wildlife.
Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign attorney Louisa Eberle said: “Driftwood LNG is proposing to build a massive gas export facility that would harm Southwest Louisiana communities, exacerbate climate change, and destroy precious coastal wetlands in an already vulnerable environment in the crosshairs of climate change.
“The Army Corps of Engineers had a chance to protect SWLA communities by requiring Driftwood to avoid and mitigate the destruction of these wetlands, but it failed to do so. We will continue to hold the Army Corps of Engineers accountable to the communities it serves.”
According to Sierra Club, operating the Driftwood LNG terminal would result in annual GHG emissions greater than two coal plants.
The lifecycle of the LNG produced would emit 167 million metric tons of CO2e annually, which is equivalent to the annual emissions from 42 coal plants or 36.3 million cars.
Southwest Louisiana is already host to large, hyper-polluting fossil fuel and petrochemical facilities, and is also recovering from various climate change-related disasters, said Sierra Club.
The region currently hosts three existing fracked gas export terminals, with another five have been approved, and four pending applications.
Healthy Gulf SWLA and SETX organising director Roishetta Ozane said: “Wetlands protect Southwest Louisiana from storm surges from major hurricanes like Hurricanes Laura and Delta. Every acre of wetlands holds 1 million gallons of stormwater.
“Driftwood LNG wants to destroy hundreds of acres of wetlands. This is extremely dangerous for Southwest Louisiana. Our communities will suffer the consequences of this permit to destroy coastal wetlands, and that’s why we are suing.”