The House of Representatives began debate on Tuesday on legislation introduced by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) that would streamline the approval process for U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
The Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act would immediately approve LNG export applications that are currently pending with the Department of Energy (DoE) and make the approval process more transparent.
“America’s natural gas output has been rising since 2006, and the Energy Information Administration expects the increases to continue for decades to come,” Gardner, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said. “As a result, we can meet domestic demand for affordable natural gas while also producing a surplus for export to our allies around the world. The only thing standing in the way is outdated federal red tape that greatly delays the construction of LNG export facilities.”
Gardner’s legislation could lead to 45,000 jobs in the United States being created over the next four years through increased production of LNG and construction of export facilities.
“The economic impacts alone make natural gas exports a winning policy, but the geopolitical impacts are a fringe benefit far too big to ignore,” Gardner said. “Allies around the world have told us that they would greatly benefit from American LNG.”
LNG exports are at the heart of the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Gardner said, and Russia’s decision to cut off its supply to Ukraine underscores the need for the U.S. to provide an alternate source of natural gas to European countries.
“Beyond Europe, we can also strengthen our economic ties with allies in Asia who would rather buy their energy from us than from less reliable Middle-Eastern suppliers,” Gardner said. “We can also assist nations in achieving their environmental goals by offering the option of clean-burning natural gas. And we can help many developing countries by providing them with an energy source that is cheaper than the choices available to them now.”
Gardner introduced an amendment to the legislation on Tuesday that would require the DoE to issue a final decision on an export application within 30 days of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission signing off on an environmental review.