February 21, 2024
Dear Members of Congress,
On behalf of Independent Women’s Voice, I strongly applaud the passage of Representative August Pfluger (R) of Texas’s H.R.1716, the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act. Independent Women’s Voice fights for women and their loved ones by effectively expanding support for policy solutions that aren’t just well-intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, opportunities, and well-being.
This bill would transfer authority of liquefied natural gas (LNG) project approval from the Department of Energy (DOE) solely to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The DOE shouldn’t approve or deny energy projects using questionable Environmental, Social, and Governance posturing. FERC similarly toyed with weighing climate or environmental considerations for future LNG projects but wisely reconsidered the proposal. Therefore, this agency is better suited to handle the approval process.
Much to the chagrin of the Biden administration and TikTok climate activists, LNG export terminals are in the public’s best interest. Pausing upwards of 17 infrastructure projects will have serious environmental, national security, and economic implications.
Natural gas is integral to the U.S.’s energy mix—comprising 30% of energy use in our nation. Americans rely on this clean source for a multitude of purposes like cooking and home heating. LNG, simply put, is natural gas in liquid form. The Biden administration glosses over findings from its own Department of Energy that say that U.S. LNG exports reduce global emissions by cutting down on reliance on questionable foreign fuel sources. The pause on future U.S. domestic LNG projects, unsurprisingly, is forecasted to actually worsen global emissions.
U.S. LNG exports exceeded 11.6 billion cubic feet per day during the first half of 2023. Due to ample supply, the Trump administration dubbed American LNG “molecules of freedom” and welcomed nations to buy from us–including our European allies. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, these nations imported our supply to stave off reliance on the rogue nation.
One European Union official praised our LNG exports in September 2023, remarking, “We will need some fossil molecules in the system over the coming couple of decades. And in that context, there will be a need for American energy.” But the decision to pause future LNG exports, however, means our friends will now look to Qatar and not us.
Encouraging more LNG infrastructure projects is not only good for the environment and our national security interests, but for our economy as well. These projects, should they proceed again, would add an estimated $73 billion to the U.S. economy and create upwards of 453,000 American jobs by 2040.
For all these reasons, we urge the Senate to work toward the swift passage of the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act. IWV thanks Representative August Pfluger for his leadership on this issue.
Respectfully,
Gabriella Hoffman
Director, Center for Energy and Conservation
Independent Women’s Voice