Construction of Sakhalin II in the Russian Far East, the world's largest LNG export terminal. Photo courtesy Sakhalin Environment Watch.

LNG projects each have environmental impacts that are unique to the region where it is either extracted or imported. Please view this interactive map for site-specific information. Despite claims to the contrary, LNG is neither clean, safe, nor necessary for the West Coast. The reasons are listed below. Click on the heading to read more:

• It contributes to global warming - Natural gas is a fossil fuel that, when burned or released into the atmosphere, contributes to global warming. The process of getting LNG from one continent to another adds greatly to the emissions.

• It’s expensive– Like oil, LNG is a global commodity that is quickly rising in price as demand increases and supplies tighten. California would be competing for LNG with Europe, India, and Pacific Rim countries, likely leading to higher utility bills.

• It will displace cleaner alternatives – New LNG infrastructure costs billions of dollars to build. This is money that could be better invested in clean alternatives, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy.

• It pollutes– LNG imports means continued, if not greater, dependence on natural gas power plants. These emit tons of nitrogen oxide and other pollutants that are known to cause asthma and other respiratory ailments.

• It’s dangerous – LNG, if it escapes from a storage tank or ship, can quickly vaporize. If this vapor ignites, it can create an immense fireball that would incinerate everything in its path.

• It will lead to more war– Like oil, LNG dependence will lead to greater military misadventures. Much of the world’s coveted gas fields lie in places like Iran, Iraq, Central Asia, and other locales the U.S. has attacked in order to secure fossil fuel resources.

• One day it will run out – While there is debate on the volume of natural gas left in the world, one thing is sure: someday it will run out. Burning it as fast as we can will only lead to that day coming sooner rather than later.

• It leads to human rights abuses – LNG extraction projects have led to the spread of disease in the Amazon, abuses by the Indonesian military against the West Papuan people, and the erosion of the indigenous way of life on Sakhalin Island, Russia.