Trump Approves Delfin LNG License, Further Sacrifices Health and Livelihoods of Louisianans

On March 21, President Trump’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced they will issue the deepwater port license for Delfin LNG, a liquefied “natural” gas (LNG) export terminal proposed off the coast of Cameron, Louisiana. Existing LNG operations are seriously impacting the health, safety and livelihoods of residents and commercial shrimpers and fishers in the area.

The announcement comes after organizations sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, urging him to require Delfin LNG to submit an updated deepwater port application. MARAD previously directed Delfin LNG to submit an amended application because they failed to comply with the original conditions of the record of decision and made significant changes to the application without the required review.

The expedited review was part of the “Unleashing America's Energy” executive order. Delfin LNG still needs to obtain other permits before it can begin construction.

In response to the announcement, residents and groups of the Gulf South and national organizations issued the following statements:

Gulf South statements:

“Once again, our regulatory agencies have sided with profit-driven corporations over the health, safety, and future of Gulf Coast communities,” said James Hiatt, director of For a Better Bayou. “Delfin LNG's deepwater port will not only fuel environmental devastation and economic instability here at home but will also drive up energy costs for American families and businesses. Exporting more LNG means higher prices for everything—from electricity bills to groceries—while fossil fuel executives rake in record profits. This is an 'America Last' policy that sells out our communities to foreign markets, leaving working people to pay the price. We need leadership that puts people first, not corporate greed.”

National statements:

“This unlawful approval of an unnecessary project will mean higher prices, worse air and more polluted waters in the Gulf,” said Lauren Parker, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “More LNG exports will only cost Americans more at the pump, while their healthcare and insurance costs go up from added pollution and climate damage. Delfin is a losing deal for people and Gulf wildlife like whales and dolphins. This decision is about enriching Trump’s oil and gas cronies at everyone else’s expense.”

“MARAD’s approval of Delfin demonstrates yet again the Trump Administration’s prioritization of fossil fuel executives over the health and safety of Americans,” said Allison Woolverton, Federal Fossil Fuel Campaign Manager at Earthworks. “Their eagerness to bypass an adequate review of the project’s impacts to ship more gas overseas is directly opposed to the interest of the public who want lower prices, clean air and water, and protection for their communities.”

“The Delfin LNG project is an open and obvious attempt to sacrifice the health and safety of Gulf South communities for corporate profit,” said Drew Guillory of Food and Water Watch. “The Trump administration is infested with fossil fuel ties that are allowing American people to become victims to the air pollution, water contamination and price increases that the assault of LNG is bringing on.”

“This move by the administration completely disregards the risks and damage this project would have on the climate, ecosystems and frontline communities of the Gulf,” said Devorah Ancel, Sierra Club senior attorney. “Ignoring the agency’s own 2024 decision denying the final license, and allowing Delfin LNG to proceed without an amended application and environmental review of the project’s significant design and ownership changes, is a license to exploit our coasts for personal profit, dismissing the needs and wellness of our coastal communities.”