Texas Leaders Deliver First-Of-A-Kind Series of Complaints to Hold Japanese LNG Financiers Accountable

Texas community leaders have arrived in Tokyo to file a landmark series of complaints against the Japanese financiers of the Freeport LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) project today. This is the first time that a community harmed by a Japanese-funded LNG project has filed a series of coordinated complaints against the whole chain of culpable parties in Japan—targeting public financial institutions JBIC and NEXI; private megabanks MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC; and Japan’s biggest power company, JERA. 

The complaint filers, Manning Rollerson Jr. III, Gwendolyn Jones, and Melanie Oldham, will meet with Japanese financiers to discuss how Freeport LNG has harmed their community. Longtime residents of the Texas Gulf South, they’ve seen families and neighbors develop asthma, cancer, and other health issues that research has linked to pollution from LNG export projects and other industrial facilities. In 2022, they witnessed Freeport LNG explode, sending a fireball 450 feet into the sky. The explosion injured those nearby and released almost 120,000 cubic feet of LNG.

People who live within three miles of Freeport LNG have an estimated cancer risk from air pollution that is higher than 90% of communities in the U.S., an unjust burden linked to the concentration of petrochemical plants and refineries in the area. The county’s air quality has consistently received an “F” grade from the American Lung Association.  Freeport LNG has been fined for violating air pollution emissions rules, releasing carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and other highly dangerous chemicals in excess of allowed levels.

The problems with the Freeport LNG project are not isolated. Exposure to harmful pollutants is a common occurrence for communities near LNG terminals. LNG export terminals also worsen the climate crisis, and raise energy prices for U.S. households, at least one in three of whom struggle to pay their energy bills.

With this series of complaints, the filers are seeking to hold Japanese financial institutions accountable for their role in financing Freeport LNG and other LNG projects in the U.S. Gulf South. MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC are the three largest financiers of LNG projects in the Gulf South.1 Government institutions JBIC and NEXI provide loans, equity, and guarantees that incentivize Japanese financiers to pour billions more into Gulf South export terminals. JBIC and NEXI offered $3.7 billion in financing for the Freeport LNG terminal in Texas alone.  

The complaints will put on record the economic risks, environmental destruction, and human costs of Japan’s energy strategy as a growing proportion of the Japanese public and leadership are questioning the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels in the wake of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Japan remains under heavy pressure from the Trump administration to invest in U.S. fossil fuel projects.

The handover of complaints today is the first step in a broader effort for pursuing accountability. The Japanese financial institutions named in the complaint are required to respond under their own accountability mechanisms. Freeport leaders will continue to pursue every available remedy to hold Japanese financiers accountable for the harm caused by their investments.

Notes to the editor: 

1. MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC have committed $14.8 billion, $12.8 billion, and $10.1 billion respectively in financing for Gulf South LNG projects. 
2. The complaint filers—each of whom have deep ties to Freeport and have been directly impacted by the LNG export project—and the legal experts are available for interviews. 
3. Professional-quality videos and photos of complaint delivery will be available here by 2 PM JST on May 18.
4. For more information, refer to this complaint backgrounder on Japan’s destructive LNG investments in the US Gulf Coast.

QUOTES: 

Allie Rosenbluth, U.S. Campaign Manager, Oil Change International

“Since his first day in office, Trump has supported LNG export projects as a reward to his gas-industry donors. He lifted the Biden-era pause on LNG exports, appointed a gas executive to rubber-stamp LNG export applications, and used the threat of tariffs to bully Japan and other U.S. allies into increasing reliance on U.S. LNG. With his administration’s encouragement, a record 55 million metric tons of new U.S. LNG capacity reached a final investment decision (FID) in 2025. With capacity already under construction, these FIDs mean U.S. LNG exports are expected to double from 2024 levels before 2030.  The complaints filed against Freeport LNG are a reminder of the danger Trump’s energy policies pose to communities and our climate. Japanese financiers must listen to those harmed by the projects they fund and stop backing the U.S. LNG export projects that poison communities.”

Gwendolyn Jones, Founder, Climate Conversation Brazoria County

“I’ll never forget the day the Freeport LNG project exploded. It changed the way I look at that facility and the way I feel about the safety of my family and my community. No one should have to live with that fear. Japanese financiers need to know that Freeport LNG is full of risk – for our communities, for our environment, and for financiers. We came to Tokyo to make sure they can no longer look away.”

Manning Rollerson, Founder and Director, Freeport Haven Project  

“The Freeport LNG project is poisoning people in my community. These projects put our health and safety at risk. I’ve lost 17 members of my family to cancer, young and old. I’m in Tokyo to tell Japanese financiers that investing in U.S. LNG is like making a deal with the devil— it’s volatile, risky and undependable. Japanese financiers must listen to those harmed by the projects they fund and stop treating our communities like sacrifice zones.”

Melanie Oldham, Founder and Executive Director, Better Brazoria: Clean Air and Water “Since it began exporting LNG in 2019, Freeport LNG has had 70 air quality violations. When it exploded in 2022, it was because management had ignored days of warnings and understaffed the facility, so employees were unable to operate the plant safely. The explosion, Freeport LNG’s air quality violations, and just its regular operations contaminate our air and water with cancer-causing chemicals. I was a healthcare professional for 41 years. Working with the Texas Department of Health, I found that in Southern Brazoria County, where Freeport LNG is located, we have six types of cancer at higher than expected rates. My community has received no benefits from Freeport LNG being in our community, and all of the harms.”

Hiroki Osada, Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Japan

“Japan is now committing to pour even more public money into U.S. fossil fuel infrastructure under and beyond the US-Japan investment deal. But Freeport LNG shows exactly what that money buys: explosions, methane leaks, polluted air, and significant health impact. Expanding this investment without confronting its human cost must not be a negotiation tool to appease Trump.” 

Bios of Texas community leaders: 

Gwendolyn Jones

Gwendolyn Jones is the founder of Climate Conversation Brazoria County. She grew up in Freeport’s East End, now surrounded by over a dozen fossil fuel facilities. She works tirelessly to educate the community about the hazards that these facilities pose, while holding the corporations accountable. Today, death and health issues for all ages are very real in Brazoria County. This work is personal to Gwendolyn and she feels an obligation to God and all the people of Freeport and Brazoria County to fight for justice and to educate the next generation. She believes love and people will triumph over money. 

Melanie Oldham

Melanie Oldham is the founder and executive director of Better Brazoria: Clean Air and Water. Melanie has been a frontline community leader for decades, fighting for clean air and water in Freeport, Texas and surrounding areas. Her 40 year career as a healthcare professional prepared her for 20 years and counting as a public health advocate and activist. She has volunteered with the Sierra Club Houston and Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, serving on the Executive Committee of both chapters for 10 years. She has spoken in opposition to proposed US oil and gas/LNG export projects, petrochemical industry expansion, industry tax abatements, and CCUS (carbon capture, utilization and storage) projects at events around the world.

Manning Rollerson Jr. III

Manning Rollerson Jr III is a Freeport resident and an advocate for his community. A deacon and grandfather of 27, Manning was a resident of the displaced East End community of Freeport and has been active in the fight for justice for the community whose rights were violated. He is the founder of Freeport Haven project, a non profit focused on housing and environmental justice. He is an outspoken activist fighting against local corruption and industrial pollution along the Gulf Coast in an area where people’s health and safety is severely impacted by the fossil fuel industry.