Summer is here, bringing forecasts for extreme heat, destructive thunderstorms and flooding. Against this backdrop of climate-driven extreme weather, a recent federal court ruling has allowed a controversial natural gas project to move forward.
The court’s decision puts the Delfin LNG deepwater export terminal one step closer to construction, which is extremely troubling because Louisiana has a higher-than-average climate risk.
In March 2025, the Trump administration approved the terminal, which is slated to be built 40 miles off Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Environmental advocates submitted reports in support of the terminal’s denial, arguing that the project would contribute to the region’s poor air quality and extreme weather and that the previous environmental review no longer reflected the current environmental landscape.
Delfin would be the first offshore liquified natural gas export terminal in the United States. Each year, it would ship some 13 million tons of liquified natural gas overseas on massive tankers. Global heating and extreme weather is already threatening Gulf Coast communities and wildlife — we should be investing in clean, renewable energy, not fossil fuels.
That’s why the Center for Biological Diversity, where I’m an attorney, joined with the Sierra Club and Habitat Recovery Project and filed suit last year, to demand a review of the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s issuance of a license for the Delfin terminal.
Unfortunately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against us earlier this month, clearing the way for this destructive project.
We still believe that the Delfin terminal should not be built. This spring, the administration fast-tracked its approval of the terminal without reviewing Delfin’s significantly revised proposal and the serious environmental dangers that may be associated with it. So we challenged that approval, which explicitly bypassed a determination made by the Maritime Administration less than a year prior, requiring additional environmental review and an amended application, with important updates to the project’s design, operation and ownership.
We urge residents to contact their elected officials and voice their opposition to this super-polluter. This is not about abstract policy. This is about whether federal agencies should be able to fast-track major energy projects without fully accounting for real-world harms.
The project’s license was denied for good reason
The Trump administration’s sudden reversal on the Delfin project came before officials and the public had a chance to thoughtfully evaluate the project, with its significant revisions. Instead, the fast-tracked approval was based on a January 2025 presidential order, “Unleashing American Energy,” which commands administration officials to expedite all permits for oil and gas extraction.
Environmental review and public participation is not some optional extra. It’s a safeguard for public health, ecological integrity, and informed decision-making.
Cutting corners on a review is unlawful. And it’s dangerous. The risks within the construction and operation of the new terminal are already evident. In February, an onshore pipeline tied to the project exploded, injuring a worker and alarming nearby communities.
And the dangers are even worse than we had originally feared. The construction phase of the revised project approved in March will result in increased emissions, including PM10/PM2.5, SO2, NOX, CO, and CO2.
Wildlife are also at risk, through increased noise and traffic. For instance, the Rice’s whale, an endangered species with a population of less than 50 in the Gulf, would be at greater risk of ship strikes from increased vessel traffic, which could move the species closer to extinction.
Delfin’s new terminal will also put tons more pollutants into the air and water, in a state that’s already suffered from too many emissions — to a point where a former governor called Louisiana “the poster child for climate change.”
Communities along the Louisiana Gulf Coast have long borne the costs of the nation’s energy development. People in Louisiana and neighboring states suffer asthma attacks, heart problems, cancer and reproductive harms associated with fossil fuel pollution. They pay the medical bills while oil and gas executives reap the profits.
For the people and wildlife of the Gulf to be safe and thriving, it’s vital that the federal government rigorously examine projects to fully assess and disclose the consequences.
These costs aren’t limited to the Gulf Coast. Climate damage now costs the United States more than any other country, driving up insurance prices and more.
As its name implies, the new offshore LNG export terminal won’t just supply our country with energy. In recent years, many LNG shipments have been sent to Europe. The Trump administration’s continued expansion of gas exports ensures that companies continue to profit on their fossil-fuel investments, even as costs for gas and energy skyrocket at home.
We have long urged our leaders to put people over profits. By fast-tracking Delfin LNG, the Trump administration is putting profits above people and many other things we hold dear.
Though we lost this time in court, the fight is far from over. With persistence, we can create a future that protects both people and the planet.
Lauren Parker is an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, which plans to continue fighting for cleaner air and water, meaningful public participation, and a just transition away from the fossil fuels that threaten our climate and communities.
