Louisiana LNG expansion races ahead under emergency permit, threatening wetlands

A liquefied natural gas terminal near New Orleans is seeking to double its footprint under a fast-tracked federal permitting process tied to a declared energy emergency. The $18 billion expansion could damage up to 470 acres of wetlands and river bottoms in a parish that has already lost hundreds of square miles to coastal erosion. Environmental groups warn that the shortened public comment period and reduced scrutiny will worsen the region's land-loss crisis.