WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and 16 Senate Western Caucus colleagues sent a scathing letter to the Biden administration in response to its decision to pause all pending non-Free Trade Agreement export permit applications for liquified natural gas (LNG) at the behest of the radical climate lobby. The letter to President Biden and Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm comes in response to the administration’s announcement that it is reevaluating the criteria to approve permits for LNG export projects. This announcement is incredibly harmful to our nation’s domestic energy production, especially at a time when American LNG exports are soaring as other nations halt imports from Russia.
“Limiting U.S. LNG exports do not have any impact on the world’s demand for natural gas. Instead, countries including Russia and Iran will simply produce more energy that is subject to less stringent environmental regulations. As a result, limiting American LNG exports in the name of stopping climate change could do just the opposite and add to global emissions,” concluded the senators. “We strongly urge you to stop this shortsighted effort. As the President of the United States and as the Secretary of Energy, you should be championing – not undermining – American LNG exports and the environmental, economic, and national security benefits to the United States and our allies.”
Lummis and Cassidy were joined by fellow Senate Western Caucus members Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Barrasso (R-WY), Jim Risch (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), J.D. Vance (R-OH), John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Rounds (R-SD) and John Kennedy (R-LA) in signing the letter.
Background:
- The Biden administration has already made a habit of slow walking LNG permits with the average permit taking more than 400 days, a large escalation from the 60 days of the Trump administration and 90 days of the Obama administration.
- The New York Times reported the Biden administration consulted with Tik Tok influencers before making the decision.
- Qatar, the world’s second leading LNG exporter, is poised to massively benefit from the decision.
Read the full letter here.
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