All 7 Operational US LNG Terminals Violated Clean Air Act; Compliance Even For 1 Quarter Unusual At Multiple Sites
During the past five years, all seven of the fully operational LNG export terminals in the U.S. violated the Clean Air Act, America’s cornerstone law on air pollution, a new report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) finds. The report comes as the Trump administration has moved to accelerate the approval of new export terminals to sell more U.S. LNG around the world, particularly to Asia and Europe. Several major terminals rarely, if ever, managed to spend a full quarter in compliance with environmental laws over the past three years, the report found.
Among the seven terminals that were fully operational by the end of 2024, publicly traded companies appeared among the most consistent violators, with the Cheniere (NYSE:LNG) Sabine Pass terminal and Venture Global (NYSE: VG) Calcasieu Pass Terminal violating the Clean Air Act every single quarter from October 2022 to July 2025, EIP found. A third, the Cameron LNG terminal, faced “high priority” violations 11 out of the past 12 quarters.
The companies that exhibited patterns of violations were also the largest emitters of climate-altering greenhouse gases. Cheniere’s Sabine Pass, the largest polluter, reported releasing 6.9 million tons of greenhouse gases during 2023, EIP found, and the company’s Corpus Christi LNG terminal ranked second, with emissions of 3.3 million tons. Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass terminal was third, with 3.1 million tons, and Cameron LNG ranked fourth, producing 2.9 million tons that year. All told, the seven terminals pumped out about 18.2 million tons of greenhouse gases — about as much as adding 3.9 million new cars to the roads.
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Five of the seven operating LNG terminals also violated the Clean Water Act at least once during that time period, the report found, racking up nearly 70 permit violations for discharging pollutants like oil and grease, metals, and “suspended solids.” Environmental regulators have hit LNG terminal operators with over $1 million in penalties for violating air pollution laws during that time, EIP found. But in some cases, state regulators in Texas and Louisiana responded by relaxing their standards, allowing three major terminals to modify or amend their permits to allow more pollution.
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https://www.desmog.com/2025/10/29/major-american-lng-exporters-habitually-break-air-pollution-laws-report-finds/