More than 75% of new U.S. gas pipeline capacity under development is intended for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, not domestic use, according to a report by the Center for Energy & Environmental Analysis. These projects could emit more CO₂ than all U.S. coal plants combined and nearly double their climate impact when including methane leaks. The report warns that the Trump administration’s rollback of methane regulations worsens emissions. While industry defenders cite declining U.S. methane levels, critics argue exported emissions still affect global climate. With 104 pipeline projects planned, experts caution this expansion could entrench fossil fuel dependency for decades.
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More than three-quarters of new gas pipeline capacity currently under development in the U.S. would feed additional liquefied natural gas exports rather than supporting domestic energy needs, a new report concludes.
Greenhouse gas emissions tied to that new capacity would be far larger than the current climate pollution from all coal-fired power plants nationwide, according to the report, published Monday by the Center for Energy & Environmental Analysis. CEEA is a recently formed think tank based in Arlington, Virginia, that focuses on energy and environmental policy.
“The money flowing to gas pipeline infrastructure is not slowing and is intended to push US gas production even higher from its current record levels,” Jeremy Symons, president of the CEEA and a former federal climate policy advisor, said in a written statement. “This buildout will extend our dependency on natural gas for decades to come, slowing the transition to cleaner, more affordable alternatives.”
Planned natural gas transmission pipelines would add 99 billion cubic feet per day of additional capacity, a figure just below the total volume of U.S. natural gas production in 2024, according to the report. The 10 largest planned pipelines across the country—and 80 percent of total capacity of active pipeline projects—are intended to export gas overseas as LNG, based on the authors’ assessment of federal data and other public records.
The additional gas shipments would have significant implications for climate change. If all of the pipelines are built and run at full capacity, carbon dioxide emissions from burning this additional gas would be two and half times greater than the CO2 currently released from all U.S. coal-fired power plants, the report found.
This doesn’t include emissions of methane, a climate super pollutant and the primary component of natural gas. Methane emissions occur at every step of the natural gas supply chain—from wellheads and pipelines to LNG vessels and end users—as the gas leaks or is intentionally vented.
Methane emissions from the additional pipelines would pack a climate punch nearly twice that of CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants over a 20-year period, according to the report.
The amount of gas leaks from the oil and gas sector will likely increase as the Trump administration rolls back the industry’s methane regulations, the report noted.
“We know from hundreds of thousands of aerial and satellite measurements that methane leaks from oil and gas production are far worse than we previously realized, which makes the climate footprint of natural gas as bad as coal in many regions of the country,” said Danny Richter, a senior fellow with CEEA and the report’s lead author. “We had a clear path to clean up the methane problem, including the methane emissions reduction program enacted by Congress in 2022 as well as EPA regulations for the oil and gas industry. But that pathway has been shut down by the current administration.”
“It is clear from the beginning of this ‘report’ that it was created with the outcome already determined and no desire to provide facts,” an EPA spokesperson told Inside Climate News. “U.S. methane emissions have been falling for decades thanks to American innovation, not heavy-handed government regulations, while domestic production of oil and gas has exponentially increased. According to EPA, methane emissions in the United States decreased by 19% between 1990 and 2022.”
Measurements in the field have repeatedly shown that reported methane emissions far understate actual releases.
The American Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas industry group, did not respond to a request for comment.
The report is based on U.S. Department of Energy data on 104 pipeline projects currently under development. It is unclear whether all of the planned pipelines will be built. Fifty-four of the projects, slightly more than half of all pipelines under development, have either not yet been approved or are on hold.
This includes one of the largest proposed pipelines, the $45 billion Alaska Nikiski LNG project. The pipe, which proponents have sought for decades, would transport gas 805 miles from Alaska’s North Slope to an LNG export terminal in southern Alaska. Completing the proposed export terminal, a retrofit of an existing import terminal, is included in the project’s projected cost.
The developer, the Alaska Gasline Development Corp, has applied for permits for the pipeline, many of which were approved during the last Trump administration, but still requires more.
Arvind Ravikumar, co-director of the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, cautioned that the report included figures for carbon dioxide emissions of gas burned by end users in other countries that import the LNG.
“The way international carbon accounting works in this space is that you count only those emissions that happen within your national border,” Ravikumar said.
However, David Lyon, a senior methane scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund, said including emissions from burning the gas, wherever it occurs, made sense.
“Climate change is global,” Lyon said. “If we are just exporting our emissions to other countries, that’s still going to cause climate change and have impact.”
However, Lyon noted that in some cases, building gas pipelines could actually help reduce emissions. For example, in the Permian basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico—the largest oil and gas producing region in the country—gas is often flared, or vented, due to a lack of sufficient pipeline capacity.
In such cases, additional pipelines could help reduce flaring and its associated emissions. But it would be better to avoid drilling new wells in areas that lack sufficient pipeline capacity in the first place, Lyon added.
In comparing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the planned pipelines to those of coal-power plants, the report only compares CO2 emissions between the two fuel sources. Elsewhere, the report discusses methane emissions from the gas supply chain, but does not consider methane emissions from coal mines that feed coal-fired power plants. A recent peer-reviewed study comparing the greenhouse gas emissions of LNG and coal found methane emissions from coal mines were relatively modest compared to coal’s CO2 emissions.
In addition to permitting issues, economic forces could also limit the number of pipeline projects that get built in the coming years, or the extent to which completed pipelines operate at full capacity.
Symons said the ongoing pipeline buildout could commit the U.S. to significantly larger LNG exports for decades to come.
“This locks in more fossil fuel dependency that future presidents won’t be able to make go away,” he said. “Policies like tax incentives come and go, but pipelines are forever.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article takes a critical stance on the expansion of natural gas pipeline infrastructure, highlighting concerns about climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, and the environmental impact of increased fossil fuel dependency. It aligns with environmental advocacy perspectives and emphasizes regulatory rollbacks under the Trump administration as detrimental to climate progress. While it includes some opposing views, such as the EPA’s defense of emissions reductions, the overall tone and framing lean toward prioritizing environmental protection and caution against fossil fuel expansion, which is characteristic of a center-left bias.
SUMMARY: Severe flooding in Central Texas has displaced residents and damaged homes. Immediate help is available through Cross Kingdom Church in Kerrville, The Salvation Army, FEMA, and the American Red Cross, offering supplies, financial aid, shelter, and mental health support. Affected individuals should document damage, save receipts, and file insurance claims before applying for FEMA aid. Housing and financial assistance can be accessed via 2-1-1 Texas, TDEM, TDI, NFIP, TDA, and SBA for farmers, homeowners, and businesses. Legal aid is provided by Disaster Legal Services and Lone Star Legal Aid. For emotional support, contact the Disaster Distress Helpline. Update your address with USPS if displaced.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-07-06 19:20:00
At least 69 people died and 51 are missing following July 4 flash floods in Texas Hill Country, Governor Greg Abbott reported. The dead and missing include 59 confirmed deceased and 11 missing at Camp Mystic, Kerr County, plus 10 others dead and 41 missing statewide. Many missing are adults camping near the river, with ongoing searches continuing throughout affected areas. Over 1,500 personnel and 925 vehicles from 20 state agencies are involved in rescue and recovery. Flash flooding threats remain, urging Texans to stay off roads. More than 850 people have been rescued, including 525 by the Texas National Guard and 165 by a heroic U.S. Coast Guard swimmer. The Trump administration supports federal disaster relief efforts.
(The Center Square) – At least 69 people are dead and 51 are missing as a result of the July 4 flash flood event in Texas Hill Country, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Sunday night.
There are 59 confirmed deceased and 11 missing from Camp Mystic, in Kerrville and Kerr County, Abbott said. In the Central Texas area, there are confirmed 10 additional people deceased. Statewide, in all areas affected by flooding, there are 41 known missing.
But it’s unknown how many remain missing. Abbott said it was important to clarify that “there were so many people who were just camping out – not children in camps – but adults camping out near the river, people in RVs and things like that,” who are missing. “There are people who are missing, who are not on the known, confirmed missing because we don’t yet know who they are,” he said.
Authorities are involved in ongoing searches “throughout the entire river system to find anybody who may be missing,” he said. Abbott also called on members of the public to contact local Kerr County officials if they believe they know someone is missing who was camping in the area.
“Please contact the local officials in Kerr County and let them know that you have the name, identification and other information about a person who is suspected to be missing,” he said. “Call only if you have specific information,” otherwise calls could slow emergency response efforts, he said.
The state has deployed more than 1,500 personnel and more than 925 vehicles and equipment assets across 20 state agencies in response to the flood event.
Expected dangerous weather conditions continue, Abbott also warned, adding that “life threatening danger over the next 24 to 48 hours” exists. Flash flooding could occur in the regions of “the Big Country, Concho Valley, Central Texas and Kerrville,” he said.
“There are still public safety issues and lives to be saved in Kerr County, and all of these regions,” he said.
He urged Texans to remain vigilant and stay off the roads.
Texas Department of Public Safety Colonel Director Freeman Martin said three people have been reported missing in Williamson County, one has been recovered; the fire chief and a 17-year-old female are missing in Burnet County.
At least six people are confirmed dead and 17 are reported missing in Travis and Burnet counties as a result of flood waters, authorities confirmed to the Dallas Morning News.
Recovering operations are ongoing for everyone including “every single one of the children who were at Camp Mystic, as well as anybody else,” Abbott said. After visiting what’s left of the camp, he said, “it was nothing short of horrific to see what those young children went through.”
“We know that parents and families, they want information, they want closure, and we want them to know that we are working as swiftly as possible to get them accurate information that will provide that closure,” Abbott said.
More than 850 people have been rescued, the majority by the Texas Military Department.
Texas National Guard helped rescue/evacuate 525 people, 366 by air and 159 by ground; 20 were in San Sabo County and five in Burnet County, Texas Military Department Adjutant General Major General Thomas Suelzer said.
One single U.S. Coast Guard officer rescued a record 165 people.
U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer Petty Officer Scott Ruskin “directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. “This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the USCG.”
The Trump administration is supporting recovery efforts, including the president already approving a major disaster declaration authorizing FEMA assistance.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article primarily reports factual information about the tragic July 4 flash flood event in Texas, focusing on casualty numbers, ongoing rescue efforts, and official statements from Governor Greg Abbott and other authorities. The tone is neutral and informative, without emotive or partisan language. It highlights government response and the severity of the disaster, mentioning support from the Trump administration in a straightforward manner. There is no discernible ideological stance or bias in favor of any political party; instead, it adheres to factual reporting on the events and responses related to the flood.
SUMMARY: Texas has passed House Bill 1056, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, allowing use of gold and silver stored in the Texas Bullion Depository for everyday purchases via debit cards and mobile apps. The phased rollout begins September 2026, with full operation by May 2027. Supporters argue it protects against inflation and honors constitutional money principles, while tech demonstrations show merchants incur no extra costs. However, concerns about federal constitutional conflicts were raised, as only the U.S. can coin money. Similar laws exist in Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, and other states, but Texas’ law uniquely includes electronic payment infrastructure for practical use.
