CP2: Natural Gas's Future in America

Credit: Venture Global LNG

CP2 is a $10 billion and 846.5-acre investment in the US’s natural gas pipeline infrastructure. It will be the largest liquified natural gas exporter in the Gulf region. Yet, this project, if implemented, will result in major negative impacts on the American people and spell disaster for our climate.

The Bad News

The project claims that it will “support the company’s long-term development of clean and reliable North American energy supplies by providing additional markets for U.S. natural gas producers.”

Yet, this is an intuitively hypocritical statement. Although natural gas has been described as a relatively “clean” fossil fuel, it is still mainly composed of methane, which is a greenhouse gas that is 28 times better at trapping heat in our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Additionally, the very exploration and drilling of natural gas deposits on land disturbs the environment around the area of the intended exploration and drilling site. This project implicates the disruption of hundreds of square miles of land.

The company building CP2, Venture Global LNG, also claims that they plan “to sequester 1 million tons of carbon per year.” Carbon sequestration is inherently not a good idea and makes false promises. Read our article on why. Additionally, because of the sheer size of this project, the likelihood of a mechanical failure occurring on the terminal is larger than normal, which could result in disastrous accidents.

A previous LNG export terminal, named Calcasieu Pass, was already built in the Gulf. It resulted in rapid land loss and wildlife displacement, such as wild dogs appearing in backyards near the project's construction. James Hiatt, himself a former oil and gas worker from nearby Lake Charles, describes Venture Global as "an existential threat” in a region already wrecked by fossil fuel’s consequences, namely powerful hurricanes and rapid land loss.

The Good News

Biden has temporarily stopped CP2 development and has been delaying approval of new LNG export facilities when conservationists called him out for these anti-environmentalist policies. Additionally, he has received a lot of approval from other officials for this move, such as Lauren Parker, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, saying “Tapping the brakes on CP2 is the best signal yet that the Biden administration is ready to put people and the planet over fossil fuel profiteers.”

However, there hasn’t been an announcement yet from the government that these projects will be completely canceled; the option to continue the development of these projects is still open. We need a large call from America’s citizens to completely stop natural gas exports in the US, as it is better for our Earth. If government officials wish to look at it from a more selfish perspective, it will be better for them as well, as they might be able to reach their climate-related promises without the setbacks of literal fossil fuel exports.

How You Can Help

Here are a few ways you can help.

1. Tell Biden to stop fracking in the US.

Click here to send a prewritten message to President Biden regarding the stoppage of LNG exports from the US. This will help the Biden administration understand that the American people don’t support the unnecessary practice of oil extraction within the US.

2. Vote for Biden in the upcoming election.

If you are at least 18, make sure to register to vote and vote for Joe Biden in the upcoming election. The primary Republican candidate Donald Trump will likely continue the development of CP2 and further support fracking during his presidency. Voting for Biden is key to ensuring America has a chance at fighting back against projects like CP2 and saving our Earth.