The Sierra Club was again turned back in its efforts to compel FERC to weigh the indirect effects of increased natural gas drilling stemming from exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected the challenge to the permitting of Cheniere Energy‘s Corpus Christi LNG export terminal. The court said Friday that the Commission did not have to address the anticipated effects of natural gas exports as it is the U.S. Department of Energy that licenses such exports, not the Commission [15-1133]. The court reached the same conclusion in previous LNG cases brought by Sierra Club (see Daily GPI, June 28). Sierra Club also was thwarted in its challenge to the project based on greenhouse gas emissions. “…Petitioner’s arguments regarding greenhouse gas emissions have no merit,” the court said. “This court has already considered and rejected identical arguments relating to the social cost of carbon.”