Cheniere – the largest liquid natural gas exporter in the U.S. – is demanding that the EPA grant them an exemption from limits on the amount of cancer-causing formaldehyde emissions the company’s terminals can release.

“Industry executives are underreporting their leaks and accidents, as our report found, and now they’re hoping to exploit a global gas shortage to demand exemptions from already lax EPA limits, ” said Louisiana Bucket Brigade Southwest Louisiana Coordinator James Hiatt. “Because it’s costly, Cheniere is asking for exemptions to EPA rules so they can continue to release cancer-causing pollutants into our communities – the same poor neighborhoods President Biden has vowed to protect.”

According to documents obtained by Reuters, a March 9 letter to the EPA from Cheniere’s law firm Bracewell warned of “Potentially imposing significant costs and operational disruption”. However, other companies such as NextEra Energy Inc have already indicated that they plan to be in full compliance with the EPA’s limit by the deadline.

Without the exemption, Cheniere will be among more than 200 other U.S. petrochemical plants, pipelines and other facilities that will have to prove they’ve complied with new EPA limits on cancer-causing formaldehyde emissions by Sept. 5.

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