All seven U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals violated federal air pollution laws over the past five years, according to a new report. The findings, which were disputed by the LNG industry, come amid an expansion push that could triple exports over the next decade by building and expanding dozens of terminals.
The nonprofit group Environmental Integrity Project released findings last Wednesday, showing that LNG terminals collectively exceeded air and water pollution limits hundreds of times since 2020, resulting in only $1 million in penalties. The report stated that five of the seven terminals also violated water pollution permits, releasing illegal amounts of oil, grease, zinc, copper and bacteria into waterways.
The report is based on information from Environmental Protection Agency databases and state-level records.
“Given the LNG industry’s terrible compliance record, our conclusion is that state and federal agencies should be slowing down and more carefully scrutinizing new applications for LNG export projects, instead of speeding up permit reviews,” said Alexandra Shaykevich, research manager at the Environmental Integrity Project and author of the report.
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What does the LNG industry look like?
When natural gas is liquefied, it can be loaded onto a tanker and shipped across the world. Large-scale exports of LNG began in the U.S. in 2016. The product is loaded onto large vessels at LNG export terminals, most of which are located on the Gulf Coast in port communities throughout Texas and Louisiana.
The long-term outlook for LNG projects suggests industry growth, characterized by stable prices and sustained demand. U.S. companies have proposed 33 new or expanded LNG terminals that could triple U.S. exports over the next decade.
President Donald Trump has expressed strong support for LNG expansion through executive orders, including his declaration of a national energy emergency and directing agencies to expedite approvals. By August, the Department of Energy had finalized eight LNG-related actions, while the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Maritime Administration authorized 10 construction projects.
What are the details of LNG export pollution violations?
The seven operating terminals reported 425 emission incidents that released over 14,000 tons of air pollution since they began operations between 2016 and 2022, according to the report. In 2023, the facilities emitted 18.2 million tons of greenhouse gases — equivalent to the annual emissions of 3.9 million cars — along with 15,733 tons of air pollutants, including known carcinogens nitrogen oxide and benzene.
The Freeport LNG terminal in Texas has drawn the most enforcement actions. A June 2022 explosion sent a 450-foot fireball into the air, forcing an eight-month shutdown. Investigators found the blast was caused by a blocked pipe valve, inadequate operating procedures and worker fatigue. The facility has received seven enforcement orders and $669,604 in penalties over five years.
At Cameron LNG in Louisiana, repeated failures of thermal oxidizers — devices designed to burn off toxic pollutants — resulted in 89 incidents releasing nearly 950,000 pounds of pollution between 2019 and 2025. The facility released 1,486 pounds of benzene across 42 incidents, well above its annual limit.
State regulators sometimes responded to violations not by imposing penalties, but by adjusting permits to allow more pollution. Texas granted Corpus Christi LNG three permit amendments, increasing allowable criteria pollutant emissions by 60%.
What does the industry say?
Charlie Riedl, executive director at the Center for LNG, called the report’s findings “mischaracterizations.” Those include the Environmental Integrity Project’s definition of year-over-year emissions and the assertion that exporting LNG to other countries can make it more expensive for U.S. consumers.
Riedl cited Department of Energy studies showing that domestic natural gas prices are expected to remain “relatively flat” through 2040.
“The U.S. LNG industry operates in a highly regulated environment, with oversight at the local, state and federal levels,” Riedl said in a statement. Riedl added that the EIP has a “vested interest in stopping U.S. LNG project development,” as the nonprofit is currently involved in litigation against an LNG export facility.
How do local communities feel?
Some residents from the areas surrounding LNG export facilities have joined with EIP in calling for change.
John Allaire, a retired oil and gas engineer who lives near the Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal, said flaring from the facility disrupts life across the river from his home. “I can see the flames at night. Sometimes there’s black smoke. I can hear the alarms going off,” Allaire said during a press conference.
James Hyatt, executive director of For a Better Bayou in Louisiana, said local fishermen have seen their catches drop by more than 50%.
“The folks who live in the town of Cameron, less than a mile from these terminals, are mostly fishermen, and they depend on this waterway,” Hyatt said.
He described harms to the environment as “another symptom of a regulatory apparatus that does not work to protect the people.”
