Many tribal nations located in the Western United States seek economic prosperity and tribal self-determination through natural gas development. Through the construction of natural gas pipelines and North American West Coast LNG terminals, Native American Tribal Nations and the First Nations of Canada can gain access to new energy markets and increase tribal incomes. That in turn aids ongoing economic development efforts and the provision of essential services for their people. These tribes also promote environmental stewardship, through their longstanding role as North America’s original guardians of the environment.

The challenges around the current trajectory of increasing CO2 emissions in the earth’s atmosphere are real. The substitution of natural gas for higher carbon-emitting fuels such as coal and oil has enabled the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than any other nation since 2005. WSTN is firmly committed to the proposition that America’s new role as a global leader in LNG exports enables a similar shift in electricity fuels and carbon emissions worldwide. The evidence demonstrates that the U.S. and its North American allies can export the American recipe for success to other nations with LNG, rooted in the fact that the environment’s health is a global – not national – issue. American LNG exports are critical to quickly lower emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors now fueled by higher-emitting energy sources. Eighty percent of global energy demand through 2050 will occur in emerging and developing economies. Any effective climate policy will prioritize evidence over slogans and solely nation-based targets, and will recognize that lower-carbon North American energy exports are critical to helping these markets achieve sustainable growth – while providing economic and environmental benefits at home.