Letter from 188 U.S. Environmental Groups Urges EU Commissioners to Reject Trump’s Pressure to Purchase U.S. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)

Today, 188 groups based in communities burdened by gas infrastructure and their allies throughout the United States sent a letter to EU Commissioners asking them to refuse to bow to U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure to increase the bloc’s reliance on LNG or other fossil fuel imports from the United States. Trump has demanded the European Union commit to buying USD 350 billion in U.S. energy if it wants to avoid sweeping tariffs – a move that over 50,000 people asked the European Union to block in a recent petition. 

The letter highlights why, as the European Union seeks to replace Russian gas with alternative energy sources, it should avoid U.S. gas or LNG imports from other countries, and instead double-down on renewable energy and energy efficiency measures. Increased reliance on U.S. LNG would mean:

• Raising energy prices for EU households, up to one in four of whom are already unable to afford to adequately heat, cool, or light their homes; 
• Exacerbating harm to the health and safety of communities living alongside LNG infrastructure, which releases toxic pollution into the air, water, and soil; 
• Exposing the European Union to market volatility, as the United States is not a reliable trading partner. Trump continues to create global chaos with a barrage of tariffs and other policies destabilizing the world’s economies, while ignoring rule of law in his own country; and
• Preventing the European Union from meeting its climate commitments, accelerating climate chaos and jeopardizing the bloc’s ambitions to be seen as a global climate leader. 

Roishetta Ozane, Founder, Director, and Chief Executive Officer of The Vessel Project of Louisiana and Co-Director of the Gulf South Fossil Finance Hub, said:

“By transitioning to renewable energy instead of expanding Europe’s dependence on LNG, EU Commissioners can show the world that we don’t need to rely on the fossil fuels that are causing climate change and bringing health crises, environmental degradation, and economic disparities to communities like mine. Our drinking water is contaminated and my children are already struggling with respiratory issues, eczema and my son has epilepsy. My family’s health and safety should not be a bargaining chip for Trump’s trade war.” 

James Hiatt, Executive Director at For a Better Bayou in Lake Charles, Louisiana, said:

“Fossil fuel corporations are poisoning our air and water with toxins that are causing cancers and other serious diseases. Our communities cannot afford the massive LNG expansion that the industry has proposed in the hopes of making more deals with Europe. The EU Commissioners must stand with the people of the Gulf South and those around the world living through climate disasters, not the corporations harming us, by ending its reliance on gas imports.” 

Laurie van der Burg, Campaign Manager Global Public Finance at Oil Change International, said:

“Instead of doing Trump’s bidding, EU commissioners should listen to the 188 US civil society groups who signed onto a letter warning them about the dangers of U.S. LNG. The groups’ message is clear: The EU must avoid sinking public money into risky, expensive, and environmentally destructive U.S LNG imports. Instead, it can save billions, build a resilient economy, and ensure Europe’s long-term energy security and independence through a just transition to renewable energy.”

Read the letter here. 

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Note to editor:

Oil Change International can connect any interested media with members of impacted communities in the United States who can speak to the tangible harms created by LNG exports.