U.S. turns its back on climate as it becomes leading LNG exporter in the world

It’s been a mixed bag this week for climate news in the U.S. A somewhat surprising but hopeful development is HR 5376, a Schumer-Manchin bill that finally allocates $369 billion in funding for climate projects—albeit with carveouts for carbon capture and sequestration and an increase in oil and gas lease sales on public lands and waters. Also this week, the Energy Information Administration announced that the U.S. is now the world leader in liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. And, piggybacking off of that LNG momentum: Thursday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved Freeport LNG’s request to expand its capacity at its Texas site despite a recent explosion that wreaked havoc on production.

Investigators still don’t know what caused the explosion, which sent a massive 450-foot-high fireball into the atmosphere. And FERC won’t even be on site for an inspection until mid-September. That still didn’t stop FERC from siding with Freeport LNG, the country’s second-largest LNG export facility, in its monthly meeting.