MAJOR CLIMATE WIN: President Biden Pauses Approvals of Fossil Fuel Export Facilities, Again Calling Climate Crisis “Existential Threat of Our Time”

Biden’s historic action will consider climate impacts of new projects and will halt the construction of additional fossil fuel export facilities currently under consideration  

Washington, D.C. – Today, President Biden announced that his administration is pausing construction of fossil fuel export facilities until their climate impact can be analyzed. This historic action halts new fossil fuel export hubs and deepens Biden’s commitment to fighting the climate crisis. This decision is a win for vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis and marks another step toward ending our reliance on dirty fossil fuels that poison our air and water, increase costly and dangerous extreme weather, and threaten our future. 

“President Biden has done more to protect our planet and build a booming clean energy economy that ends our reliance on dirty fossil fuels than any other president in history. The president’s action today is a historic move to protect the health and economic security of our nation from corporate polluters and address the global threat of a very real climate crisis,” said Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes. “Make no mistake, if it were up to Donald Trump, these dangerous oil and gas projects would be rushed forward — exporting fossil fuels overseas, increasing our energy costs, and spewing toxic pollution. At every turn, MAGA Republicans are working to tie America’s future to costly, dangerous and dirty fossil fuels – no matter the price. ”

President Biden’s decision today prevents nearly 200 million tons of planet-heating emissions from being released by the Louisiana facility alone. 

This is far from President Biden’s only effort to fight the climate crisis. On Day One of his presidency, America rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement and has made historic investments in clean energy. In December, the Biden Administration announced new rules to reduce methane gas emissions by 80 percent. The President has also moved to protect more public lands from drilling and committed billions to help families access affordable clean energy.