The Department of Energy is taking public comments on Freedom LNG LLC's request to send U.S. natural gas to Mexico and re-export some of it as liquefied natural gas.

The notice says Freedom LNG is asking for a 20-year authorization to export up to about 343 billion cubic feet of U.S.-sourced natural gas a year by pipeline to Matamoros and re-export 307 billion cubic feet a year as liquefied natural gas.

The proposed BRAVO LNG Project would sit near the Port of Matamoros in Tamaulipas, Mexico. A UTRGV economics professor says that matters when people talk about how much the Rio Grande Valley could benefit.

UTRGV Department of Economics Chair and Professor Gautam Hazarika expects much of the direct construction benefit to stay in Mexico. He says more information is needed before anyone can put a number on the Valley's potential economic impact.

"I think the first number we would need is some kind of estimate of job creation here in the Valley," Hazarika said.

Hazarika says Texas energy producers could benefit from another market for their gas.

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network says possible economic benefits do not outweigh its concerns about pollution and environmental damage. South Texas Environmental Justice Network Co-founder Dr. Christopher Basaldu also questions how long construction jobs would last.

“There might be a lot of jobs that happen with construction, but let's say it takes you two years to build the project. What happens when it's finished building? All those jobs go away,” Basaldu said.

The Department of Energy public comment process gives residents a chance to weigh in on the request to re-export gas to countries without a qualifying free trade agreement with the United States. 

Comments are due Dec. 7, 2026. Submit public comments through the Department of Energy portal here.