Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 6 hrs ago
Freeport residents challenge LNG project over pollution and health concerns
Three residents of Freeport, Texas, challenged the LNG project in May 2026, bringing a complaint to Japanese public finance and insurance bodies.
Freeport is an industrial city on the Gulf Coast, where chemical plants and a major liquefied natural gas export facility operate.
A state health department study found that several types of cancer occurred at higher rates in Freeport than across Texas during 2000–2015, but it did not establish that the LNG facility caused those cases.
The facility began operating in 2019 and is now the third-largest LNG exporter in the United States, sending gas to Europe and Asia, including Japan.
One resident said family members had died of cancer or respiratory illness and that he suffers from asthma and bronchitis; residents say pollution from the facility threatens their health.
Japanese banks, Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Nippon Export and Investment Insurance have supported the project, while JERA and Osaka Gas have investment or supply ties to it.
A fourth production unit is planned, and residents are asking for further expansion to stop.
Three Freeport residents traveled to Japan in May 2026 to submit a complaint about the LNG project to Japanese financial and trade insurance institutions.
They said the LNG facility threatens their health and urged that its expansion be stopped.
One resident, Manning Rollerson, said he suffers from asthma and bronchitis and that more than a dozen relatives had died of cancer or respiratory illnesses.
Freeport LNG began operating in 2019 and is now the third-largest LNG export facility in the United States by capacity.
A fourth production facility is planned.
- Who
- Three residents of Freeport, Texas, including Manning Rollerson.
- What
- They submitted a complaint about environmental and social impacts of the LNG project and called for its expansion to stop.
- When
- May 2026.
- Where
- The residents delivered the complaint in Japan to representatives of JBIC and NEXI. The project is in Freeport, Texas.
- Why
- They said the LNG facility contributes to pollution and threatens residents’ health.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Freeport LNG began operating.
Three Freeport residents traveled to Japan and submitted a complaint to representatives of JBIC and NEXI.
Construction of a fourth production facility at Freeport LNG is planned.
- Freeport population
- About 10,000
- Facility operating since
- 2019
- LNG export capacity
- Third-largest in the United States
- Rollerson’s home
- 3 miles (about 5 kilometres) from the facility
- Planned expansion
- A fourth production facility
What people are saying
More than a dozen of my family members and relatives have died of cancer or respiratory illnesses. I myself suffer from asthma and bronchitis. I want them to stop any further expansion of the LNG facility.
The LNG facility is threatening our health.