This is just what the climate activists wanted.

The White House is delaying a decision about approving a new natural gas megaproject, as my colleague Coral Davenport exclusively reported yesterday, in order to more fully consider its impact on the climate.

The contentious Calcasieu Pass 2 project, known as CP2, would allow the United States — already the worlds’ biggest natural gas exporter — to ship much more liquefied natural gas overseas. Climate activists have rallied for months to block the project on the Louisiana coast, arguing that it would lock in dependence on fossil fuels beyond what the climate can bear.

“I’m super excited and ecstatic,” said Roishetta Ozane, an activist based in Louisiana, where the project would be located. “CP2 is a carbon time bomb.”

Natural gas is mostly methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. While it burns more cleanly than coal, it can leak anywhere along the supply chain, making it just as harmful, according to recent research.