LifeCycle Greenhouse Gas, Addendum to Environmental Review and Procedural Changes for LNG Export Decisions
Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management
August 30, 2017
minute read time
Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports of Natural Gas from the United States
On August 15, 2014, the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy published the final Addendum To Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports Of Natural Gas From The United States (Addendum). The purpose of the Addendum is to provide additional information to the public regarding the potential environmental impacts of unconventional natural gas exploration and production activities. DOE has received many comments related to concerns about the potential impacts from increased development of unconventional natural gas resources in the United States, particularly production that involves hydraulic fracturing. While not required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), DOE has prepared this Addendum in an effort to be responsive to the public and provide the most current information available.
Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States
On May 29, 2014, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy announced the availability for public review and comment the report Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States (LCA GHG Report). The purpose of this LCA GHG Report is to provide additional information to the public and to DOE to inform its decisions regarding the life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of U.S. LNG exports for use in electric power generation. The LCA GHG Report compares life cycle GHG emissions from U.S. LNG exports to regional coal and other imported natural gas for electric power generation in Europe and Asia. The LCA GHG Report is based on the NETL report Life Cycle Analysis of Natural Gas Extraction and Power Generation (Natural Gas and Power LCA Model Documentation).
Notice of Proposed Procedures for Liquefied Natural Gas Export Decisions
On August 15, 2014, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy announced its Procedures for Liquefied Natural Gas Export Decisions (Procedures). Pursuant to these Procedures, DOE will act on applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the lower-48 states to non-FTA countries only after the review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has been completed, suspending its practice of issuing conditional decisions prior to final authorization decisions.