HOUSTON, March 28 (Reuters) - The Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission issued a preliminary decision on Friday

supporting environmental approval for NextDecade's ( NEXT ) Rio

Grande LNG project in southern Texas.

In August, a Washington, D.C. Circuit court quashed the

regulator's approval for the plant at the Port of Brownsville,

Texas, saying it failed to issue a supplemental Environmental

Impact Statement on how communities will be affected and ordered

it to publish one for public comment.

The comment period for the draft statement ends on May

19, FERC said.

NextDecade ( NEXT ) has continued constructing the plant and in

2027 is expected to expand LNG capacity that will help the U.S.

remain the world's

leading exporter of the superchilled gas

.

U.S. President Donald Trump has

declared

an energy emergency and laid out a sweeping plan to

maximize oil and gas production.