Pollutant

• SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman ("Milberg"), Napoli Shkolnik, and Kresch Legal Services PR have filed an amended proposed class action complaint on behalf of Puerto Rico residents who claim they were injured by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from sterilization facilities located in the Commonwealth.
• Emissions are alarmingly prevalent in Puerto Rico, where there are seven sterilizer plants, including four of the most dangerous facilities, according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
• The report found that roughly 13% of Puerto Rico's neighborhoods are impacted by the release of EtO from medical facilities.
• "These corporations have chosen to use ethylene oxide at their facilities when feasible alternatives were available, causing unimaginable, yet preventable, suffering across the island."

• The Biden administration has frozen pending decisions on permit applications to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG, to countries other than U.S. free trade partners.
• During this pause, which will last for up to 15 months, the administration has pledged to take a “hard look” at economic, environmental and national security issues associated with exporting LNG.
• Environmental advocates, who have expressed alarm over the rapid growth of U.S. LNG exports and their effects on Earth’s climate, praised this step.
• Critics, including energy companies and members of Congress, argue that it threatens European energy security and energy jobs in the U.S. Emily Grubert, associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame and a former official at the U.S. Department of Energy, explains why large-scale LNG exports raise complex questions for U.S. policymakers.

Is the US a major LNG supplier?

• The U.S. is now the world’s largest LNG exporter.
• In November 2023, the most recent month with full data, the U.S. exported about 390 billion cubic feet of LNG, a record high.
• As of 2022, the U.S. provided 20% of total global LNG exports.

Are there plans for exporting even more LNG?

The U.S. Energy Administration projects that North American LNG export capacity – largely from the U.S. – is likely to more than double from its current level by the end of 2027. In the U.S., five LNG export terminals are currently under construction, and are not affected by the current pause. Applications for additional export terminals are under review. These are the applications for which decisions have been temporarily paused.

How does LNG fit into a transition away from fossil fuel?

• LNG, and natural gas in general, has an uneasy place in the decarbonization transition.
• Furthermore, natural gas that has been processed for use is essentially pure methane, which is itself a greenhouse gas.
• LNG is not a transition away from fossil fuel – it is a fossil fuel.
• A transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions will require a commitment to actually shift away from fossil fuel.

What do you think this policy review should consider?

• Such a blueprint would need to include a plan for reshaping the nation’s energy infrastructure to phase out use of natural gas, along with coal and oil.
• In theory, it could include targeted deployment of gas resources to ensure that energy needs are being met while zero-carbon resources are deployed along the way.
• I’d also like to see health and environmental justice considerations deeply embedded into energy and climate decisions in general, and especially for LNG projects.
• These plants are sited mainly in communities that have suffered high rates of illness, premature deaths and environmental damage from hosting fossil fuel infrastructure for decades.

Emily Grubert served in 2021-2022 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Carbon Management and, later, as Senior Advisor in the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the US Department of Energy, which has permitting authority over LNG terminals. She was not involved with LNG decisions.

• Indra Energy, a leading, independent provider of electricity and natural gas, today announced its expansion into the Michigan gas market.
• This expansion brings 100-percent carbon-offset natural gas solutions to residents seeking an alternative energy company with outstanding customer service and rewarding benefits.
• Indra Energy is equipping Michigan residents who want to reduce their carbon footprints with alternative energy supply options.
• “We believe that every Michigan resident deserves access to 100-percent carbon-offset natural gas, and Indra Energy is here to make that a reality.”
  To learn more or sign up for a natural gas plan with Indra Energy, visit indraenergy.com/michigan .

• As part of this effort, the companies are conducting stratospheric balloon missions to test the technology in high-altitude conditions and expect to evolve the platform into a permanent capability.
• Data acquired at the stratosphere is a complementary fit into a spectrum of detection capabilities operating across different layers, including satellites.
• “We are now providing critical methane data and intelligence regionally to the oil & gas industry through a first-of-its-kind look-down platform,” said Scepter CEO and Founder Philip Father.
• “Once fully deployed, this technology will be another part of our multi-layered methane monitoring system.