New Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG Project

My name is Joanie Steinhaus and I live in Galveston, TX. I am concerned about the impacts of the proposed offshore natural gas export deepwater port, New Fortress Energy Louisiana FLNG under Docket number MARAD-2022-0076. The deepwater port related pipeline connection and other infrastructure will have a negative effect on the local, regional, and global environment, and Grand Isle and surrounding Gulf Coast communities. The health and wellbeing of residents of the Gulf Coast must be our top priority, and the New Fortress Energy FLNG facility is not in the public interest and will not be good for Louisiana. The deepwater port would be in the northern Gulf of Mexico, which is home to marine fish species currently listed as Threatened or Endangered: giant manta ray (Manta birostris), Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi), largetooth sawfish (Pristis pristis), oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus), and smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata). The project is nearby to Caminada Bay, one of the most popular locations for fishing in the area, is located just north of Grand Isle and known to be a source of species of tarpon, and redfish, grouper, Northern red snapper, Red Drum[1] (Sciaenops ocellatus) , Spotted seatrout, mangrove snapper Elmer's Island Wildlife Refuge is close to the proposed project area and serves as an important area for species of birds, especially during times of migration, including piping plovers, red knots, reddish egrets, marbled godwits, black skimmers and magnificent frigatebirds. Elmer's Island is also a popular fishing area for surf and bank fishing. Top species include blue crab, spotted and sand seatrout, sea catfish, red drum, and southern flounder. Nearby Barataria Bay is designated an estuary of national significance by the Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program[1] and was heavily impacted by the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The facility would export 2.8 million tonnes of gas annually and serve approximately 40 LNG carriers per year, increasing toxic air pollutants and water contaminants. The proposed deepwater port fossil fuel export terminals undercut the Administration's commitment to tackling climate change and protecting public health, justice and the environment, placing new polluting facilities in an environmental justice community. Grand Isle is already experiencing sea level rise, coastal erosion and increasingly intense hurricanes. New fossil fuel infrastructure contributes to climate change and environmental injustice, threatening the island's residents ability to continue to remain living in their homes.