Climate activists who successfully urged the Biden administration to pause new U.S. LNG export permits are now targeting proposed deepwater crude oil export facilities. Last Thursday, the Sierra Club, on behalf of nearly 20 environmental and advocacy groups, submitted a letter to the White House and the Department of Transportation (DOT) calling for a halt to these new projects.
In response, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) stated it “does not object to the issuance of a license,” noting that all proposed deepwater port facilities undergo extensive environmental reviews to secure permits.
Enterprise’s Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT; green-striped diamond on map below) received its license from the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD), an agency within the DOT, in April. Sentinel Midstream’s Texas GulfLink (TGL; yellow-striped diamond) deepwater export project has advanced through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process and gained official approval from Texas Governor Greg Abbott. TGL now awaits the Record for Decision (ROD) from MARAD, expected by December 12.
The other two remaining deepwater crude export projects — Energy Transfer’s Blue Marlin (dark-blue striped diamond) and Phillip 66 and Trafigura’s Bluewater (striped light-blue diamond) — are further behind in the regulatory process. The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP; purple diamond) is the only active deepwater terminal.
