Today, President Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and strengthen European energy security in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The agreement includes a commitment from European Union (EU) leaders to facilitate the construction of new and expanded gas import facilities and calls for “hydrogen-ready” infrastructure, even though less than 1% of hydrogen is produced from renewable electricity. These commitments lock both the U.S. and EU into decades of more dirty fossil fuel reliance, when we know we must take immediate and unprecedented steps to transition to 100% clean energy to ensure a livable planet.

The agreement also promotes accelerating market deployment of clean energy measures and the immediate deployment of energy efficient solutions like heat pumps. The commitments to expedite renewable energy projects are the most sustainable path forward to reduce reliance on gas and meet net-zero goals.

In response, Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen issued the following statement:

“There is no way to ramp up U.S. LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) exports and deliver on the imperative climate commitments that the U.S. and the EU have pledged. It will take years and cost billions to build out new LNG infrastructure that will lock in expensive fossil dependence and dangerous pollution for decades to come. Investing in new LNG is not a near-term fix for getting off Russian gas in Europe. It is a diversion of time and resources away from the urgent project of scaling clean energy in the last years we have left to triage in a climate emergency.”