FERC Sued to Stop Unlawful Jordan Cove LNG Terminal

WASHINGTON  – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) filed a lawsuit today against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over its unlawful approval of a liquefied natural gas export facility near Coos Bay in Oregon.

The Jordan Cove Energy Project, comprised of the LNG export facility and associated pipeline, makes no sense and harms the environment. FERC had rejected this same project four years ago. In reversing itself, the commission violated its own weak rules. In fact, the only customer for the gas so far is the project developer itself.

The petition (link here) was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The following is a statement by Gillian Giannetti, a lawyer for NRDC’s Sustainable FERC Project:

“FERC got it right the first time when it rejected this harmful project, and it hasn’t adequately explained its about face.”

“Jordan Cove still hasn’t identified any outside buyers for this gas, and so that means landowners will lose their land and the environment faces great risks all for a project that will undoubtedly become a white elephant.”

For more on the problems with this project and NRDC’s lawsuit, please see this blog.

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.