FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 26, 2024Media Contact: Jama.Joseph@weact.org, 845-671-9572
WASHINGTON – Today the Biden-Harris Administration announced a temporary pause on pending Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects across the United States. WE ACT for Environmental Justice Co-founder and Executive Director Peggy Shepard responded:
“This necessary and crucial reevaluation on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals with a focus on DOE’s public interest determination is a step in the right direction, and we hope that this gives the Administration the space to partner with advocates to fully analyze the impact of the U.S. LNG policy on communities that are burdened with fossil fuel infrastructure and pollution. WE ACT was one of the first environmental justice groups to call for a pause on LNG projects and for the Administration to broaden the scope of the public interest reviews to address cumulative impacts. We have been strong on this front sharing our concerns and expertise with federal agencies, submitting comments, and standing with frontline heroes to make a day like today possible. We are thankful for the coalition of proactive frontline leadership and partnership on the Hill to sound the alarm on this issue. It is thanks to collective efforts like our Wrong Direction campaign, and most directly those on the frontline that experience the devastating burdens of fossil fuel pollution who held the line and made their voices count. Individuals like Zulene Mayfield in Chester, PA, who stood firm to protect her community from being a sacrificial zone defined by pollution caused sickness and death. While we recognize this step forward, celebrating the hundreds of thousands of people organizing around LNG and the end of Fossil Fuel Infrastructure, we also must underscore how this issue is as much for the health and well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, as it is in response to the urgency around the climate crisis.”
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WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a Northern Manhattan membership-based organization whose mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and/or low-income residents participate meaningfully in the creation of sound and fair environmental health and protection policies and practices. WE ACT has offices in New York City and Washington, D.C. Visit us at weact.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
