The Biden administration has put the decision on approving the largest gas export terminal in the U.S., also known as Calcasieu Pass 2, on hold. This project would be located along a shipping channel near the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico, and is one of 17. The cost for this is $10 billion, and it would increase the amount of American gas exported by 20%, balance the United States trade, and give over a thousand people direct, indirect, and construction jobs in the southwestern Louisiana area. This project needs to be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Energy Department, and get permits before it can be built.

Advocates for this project say it will help the economy, help Europe not rely on gas from Russia as much, and that burning natural gas would have less threatening gas emissions for the planet than burning coal. Scientists, environmental groups, and activists are against the project. They say that in doing this they would have more greenhouse gas emissions, which is one of the main reasons for climate change, and it would be harmful to the people and ecosystems living near the area. About 170 scientists, over 230 climate organizations, and 60 members of European Parliament have written letters to Biden telling him not to approve it and to not use Europe as an excuse to add more gas exports.

When burned, gas is cleaner than coal, but gas is made up of methane, and methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. The UN Environment Programme says that over a 20-year period it is more potent at warming than carbon dioxide. Methane can affect human health and crops, and it causes about one million premature deaths a year. The Biden administration wants to stop burning fossil fuels, and had made an agreement at last year’s COP28 to shift away from fossil fuels, start using renewable energy, and reduce greenhouse gasses, and doing this he would be contradicting the agreement he made at COP28.

Last year on March 13, President Biden approved the Willow project, the largest U.S. oil project. Doing this received a lot of backlash from climate activists that helped Biden win the election in 2020; since it is very likely that he will be a candidate for this year’s election, he has been trying to get them to vote for him. When Donald Trump, another candidate, won this year’s Iowa Republican presidential caucuses, he said if he wins he will increase fossil fuels and, “We’re going to drill, baby drill right away. Drill, baby, drill.”