Oil export project likely won’t boost US emissions, feds say

By Carlos Anchondo | 07/11/2024 06:47 AM EDT

The Department of Transportation reviewed a planned terminal off the coast of Texas.

A petroleum tanker heads from the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas.

A petroleum tanker heads from the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

A large oil export terminal proposed for the Gulf of Mexico is likely to have little effect on the emissions footprint of the overall U.S. crude oil supply chain, according to a new assessment from the U.S. Coast Guard.

In a final environmental impact statement, the Coast Guard analyzed the environmental and climate effects of the planned Texas GulfLink project. The Maritime Administration, part of the Department of Transportation, provided input to the environmental assessment and reviewed the document.

The Coast Guard, an agency that is a part of the Department of Homeland Security during peacetime, said in its report last week that — while greenhouse gas emissions associated with potential crude oil production and use of oil exported by the project “represent a significant amount” of emissions — the majority of those “likely already occur as part” of the U.S. oil supply chain.

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“The Proposed Action itself is likely to have very little effect on the amount of [greenhouse gas] emissions associated with the overall United States crude oil supply chain,” the analysis said.

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