FERC Issues Final Environmental Approval for Texas Rio Grande LNG Project

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff have recommended final environmental approval for two major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in Brownsville, Texas: NextDecade's Rio Grande LNG and Texas LNG by Texas LNG Brownsville LLC. The recommendation for Rio Grande LNG follows a court-mandated supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) addressing concerns about environmental justice and community impacts, concluding that the project will not have significant environmental effects. Similarly, Texas LNG received FERC's final supplemental environmental impact statement, reinforcing the project's authorization and supporting its targeted final investment decision by year-end. Both projects have secured significant customer commitments and continue to address environmental justice concerns, with FERC acknowledging some disproportionate impacts near the Rio Grande LNG terminal but deeming overall air quality impacts as not significant. These approvals mark important milestones in advancing LNG export capacity amid regulatory and legal scrutiny. Construction and development efforts are led by established firms such as Kiewit for Texas LNG, moving forward under a lump-sum turnkey structure.