WHAT IS LNG?

What the fossil fuel industry labels “natural” gas, for its public relations purposes, is really 85-95% of methane (CH4). Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) at trapping heat in our atmosphere. Methane leaves the atmosphere much quicker than carbon dioxide, but its potency leaves a greater adverse impact in the short-term. 

 

To export methane, the gas industry supercools methane to a liquid state, at about -260° Fahrenheit, for shipping and storage. The volume of this liquified “natural” gas (or LNG) is about 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state, making it possible to transport methane to international markets.

 

The methane gas industry hopes to build roughly 20 new and expanded methane gas export facilities (aka LNG terminals), concentrated in communities across the Gulf Coast.