The United States Court of Appeals rejected a joint appeal by environmental groups against orders by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approving the conversion of Dominion’s Cove Point LNG import terminal to an import and export terminal.
In its order, the court noted that the petitioners, EarthReports, Sierra Club and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, contended that FERC failed to consider several possible environmental impacts that the Cove Point conversion project may have.
According to the petitioners, the FERC’s review should have included the impacts of the increased domestic natural gas production that will result from the exports passing through the converted Cove Point facility, as well as the climate impact of emissions from the production, transport, and consumption of the exported natural gas.
The court rejected claims stating the Commission was not required under NEPA to consider indirect effects of increased natural gas exports through the Cove Point facility.
Works on converting the facility to an export terminal are expected to be completed in late 2017, and once put into operation it will have the capacity to produce about 5.25 million metric tons of LNG per year.
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LNG World News Staff