BRUNSBÜTTEL, GERMANY, November 30, 2024 – Today, 22 Greenpeace activists from organizations based in Germany, Belgium, and Poland protested a tanker loaded with liquefied fossil gas (LNG) entering the port of Brunsbüttel. The tanker is carrying LNG exported from Venture Global’s Calcasieu Pass terminal in Louisiana and is the first US LNG tanker to arrive in Germany since the presidential election. Activists, who set up a protest camp in kayaks and other floating devices, attached an over 300-foot-long banner saying “Gas destroys – Stop fossil gas” to the floating gas import terminal.
Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.
John Noël, Deputy Climate Program Director at Greenpeace USA, said: “Runaway LNG exports jack up prices for consumers, fueling the cost-of-living crisis that’s crushing everyday people. Approving new LNG exports terminals at this moment enriches no one except for fossil fuel CEOs and the billionaire class they serve. Thankfully, the resistance to increased LNG exports from the United States is international. As the incoming Trump administration promises to greenlight more drilling and exports, it’s imperative the international community stops buying Trump LNG.
“Now more than ever, we need President Biden and his administration to reject the six pending LNG export projects, including the notorious Calcasieu Pass 2 project. This action will help establish President Biden’s climate legacy and honor the calls from frontline communities standing in opposition to the disastrous LNG terminal buildout in the Gulf South.”
Background
The tanker, the first one traveling from the US to Germany since the US election, left from Calcasieu Pass LNG Terminal in Louisiana. Despite President Biden’s temporary moratorium on new LNG export authorizations, the US remains responsible for a third of new oil and gas extraction planned by 2050 [1] and is the largest exporter of liquefied gas to Europe. [2] It’s expected that the incoming Trump administration will immediately rubber stamp all pending LNG projects.
A recent analysis from Greenpeace USA and the Sierra Club found that permitted levels of air pollution from Calcasieu Pass LNG alone could lead to 3.5 to 5.8 premature deaths, and $56 to $89 million in total health costs, per year. Should the full Calcasieu Pass 2 project be approved, air pollution levels in its permit application could lead to an additional 5.1 to 8.8 premature deaths per year. [3]
Travis Dardar, Founder of Fishermen Involved in Saving our Heritage (FISH), said: “This tanker carries the pain and suffering felt by innocent fishermen and residents around the Calcasieu Pass facility. This action of protesting the ship is a strong statement made to people who will not listen otherwise. I, along with the fishermen in Cameron, Louisiana, know firsthand how harmful LNG exports are, and see the total disregard they have for human life as they poison our families and our seafood. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Greenpeace activists as they carry this action out.
“Know that even though we are not there physically, we are with you always. As far as the members of the German government who believe in the fairytale of LNG being cleaner energy, we have paid with our communities and livelihoods. Isn’t that enough? It’s time to break these chains and turn away from this false solution that is killing people on a daily basis.”
Anne Rolfes, Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, said: “The Gulf Coast LNG buildout is a disaster for the planet, and protesting this tanker is sending that crucial message. Here in Louisiana, we are seeing the awful results of this industry in our state: it warms the planet, makes storms worse, pollutes our air and water, and threatens our fishermen. Europe can and must do better than to import a fuel that is so damaging.”
Mira Jaeger, energy expert from Greenpeace Germany, said: “Everyone wants fair energy prices and energy security – but this won’t happen by becoming dependent on yet another fossil gas-providing country. Switching from Putin’s gas to Trump gas will perpetuate Europe’s dependence on gas imports, keeping us locked into a fossil fuelled energy system. The EU must speed up the green energy transition and ban new fossil fuel infrastructure projects across Europe. It is a matter of safety and a matter of justice for present and future generations.”
In a bid to avert Trump’s threat of introducing import tariffs on EU goods, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reportedly proposed to increase imports of US liquefied gas to the EU in a call with president-elect Trump. In Germany, where fracking has been banned since 2017, 84 percent of liquefied natural gas imports come from the US. [4]
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Notes:
Photos and videos are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.
[2] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/infographics/eu-gas-supply/
[3] https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/permit-to-kill/
[4] https://www.bdew.de/media/documents/Jahresbericht_2023_UPDATE_Mai_2024_final_V2.pdf
Contact:
Katie Nelson, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], +1 (678) 644-1681
Greenpeace International Press Desk: [email protected], +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours). Follow @greenpeacepress for our latest international press releases.
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
