Residents of US Gulf Coast communities in Texas who say JapaneseSubsidized fossil fuel projects tied to tariff negotiations with US President Donald Trump threaten their health and safety, and they have taken their fight to Tokyo.
Members of community groups from the Freeport area in Texas met with officials from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), the government-run Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (Nexi) Corporation, as well as the ministries of Finance, Economy, Trade and Industry on Monday.
They urged institutions to stop support for a planned crude oil export facility in Freeport and the expansion of liquefied natural gas infrastructure, saying the projects would increase pollution, raise safety risks and cut off dependence on fossil fuels.
Officials from the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Bank declined to meet the group. The three are the largest financiers of LNG projects in the world weWhile the Japan Bank for International Cooperation and Nexi negotiate loans, shares and guarantees that reduce risks for Japanese banks and trading houses.
Hiroki Osada, a Friends of the Earth Japan activist who attended the meetings, said officials’ response did little to reassure visitors.
