JBIC Launches Investigation into Freeport LNG Project Amid Community Complaints

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has launched an investigation into complaints filed by three Texas community leaders regarding its financing of the Freeport Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export project. The complaint, delivered directly to Japanese financiers in Tokyo this May, documents evidence of pollution, repeated safety and operational failures, and health impacts experienced by community members living near the facility.

The $2.6 billion loan from JBIC is part of nearly $3.8 billion provided by Japanese public finance institutions to support the project. Community leaders are urging JBIC to send representatives to Freeport, Texas to investigate the project, interview impacted community members, and host an open-door community meeting to hear from residents.

The investigation comes after a 2022 explosion at the facility sent a fireball 450 feet into the sky, injuring those nearby and releasing almost 120,000 cubic feet of LNG. Longtime residents have reported families developing asthma, cancer, and dying prematurely following exposure to toxic pollution created by petrochemical and LNG facilities.