For Immediate Release
February 15, 2024
Contact: Taylor Haulsee
WASHINGTON – Today, Speaker Mike Johnson released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024.
“When America leads the world in producing and exporting energy, America’s economy is strengthened, its security is ensured, and all our allies benefit as well. However, since his first day in office, President Biden has targeted our domestic energy producers and actively undermined America’s efforts to be energy independent. The President’s most recent decision – to pause pending natural gas export terminals – is a setback for American workers and our overseas partners, and a victory for Vladimir Putin and radical climate activists.
“Today, the House passed the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act to depoliticize the LNG approval process and unleash American energy producers from the bonds of Biden’s subversive bureaucratic overreach.”
BACKGROUND
Since President Biden took office, his administration has not issued a single new LNG export authorization. Last month, the administration announced it would pause all approvals for pending natural gas export terminals. LNG export authorizations to non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries took an average of 155 days under President Obama’s administration, and 49 days under President Trump’s administration.
The Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024 would depoliticize the LNG export permitting process and stop the Biden administration’s longstanding practice of banning clean, American LNG exports to our international allies by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission total authority over the process.
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