The federal district court for the District of Columbia rejected claims that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated federal environmental laws when it approved a project to dredge shipping channels in San Juan Harbor and dispose of the dredged materials in an ocean disposal site. The court’s decision did not explicitly address the plaintiffs’ allegations that the project would increase imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), leading to emissions that would worsen climate change. The decision did, however, reject the argument that the Corps should have considered potential new LNG infrastructure as a “connected action.” The court also found that the Corps considered the impacts of the possibility that Puerto Rico would convert to LNG and reasonably concluded that such a conversion would result in lower air emissions.

Challenge to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers San Juan Bay Dredging Project, which would allow larger tankers of liquefied natural gas and petroleum to transit the Bay.

El Puente v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

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Federal Court Rejected Environmental Challenges to San Juan Harbor Dredging Project

Filed

United States of America

District of Columbia

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Federal Court Rejected Environmental Challenges to San Juan Harbor Dredging Project

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance