Meet The Dems Balking At Biden’s Anti-Energy Eco-Unfriendly Agenda
WRITTEN BY NICK POPE ON FEB 6, 2024. POSTED IN LATEST NEWS
Several House Democrats crossed the aisle on Monday to join Republicans in expressing concern about the Biden administration’s pause on approving new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals.
Seven Democratic members of the Energy Export Caucus signed a bipartisan Monday letter to President Joe Biden outlining their concerns with the LNG decision, which energy sector experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation will empower foreign producers while not reducing emissions. [emphasis, links added]
The Biden administration is pausing its approvals of new and pending proposals for LNG export terminals to consider the climate impacts of these projects, a delay which is expected to last for more than a year.
The seven Democrats who signed the Energy Export Caucus letter are Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Lou Correa of California, Mary Sattler Peltola of Alaska, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Jim Costa of California, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
February 5, 2024
The Honorable Joseph Biden
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Biden:
We write to voice our concern with
your Administration’s
decision to limit the export of U.S. liquefied natural
gas (LNG). The
Department of Energy’s plan to change the criteria used to approve new LNG export projects
threatens national security, the economy, and clean energy goals.
The foremost concern with limiting LNG exports is the impact on our national security. The ongoing war in
Ukraine has brought to light a concerning reliance on Russian gas across Europe. Since the start of the war, Europe has committed to phase out its dependency on Russian gas before the end of the decade. That is no easy task as Russian gas accounted for more than 40% of the European Union’s gas supply in 2021
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.
We were pleased to see your March 2022 pledge to help Europe achieve its goals of reducing dependence on Russian gas imports by delivering 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of additional U.S. LNG to Europe through at least 2030
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.
Europe has looked to U.S. LNG exporters to provide a stable supply of gas to the continent. Europe has almost
tripled its import of U.S. LNG since 2021 which has provided the region with price stability and security. As of November, 68% of U.S. LNG exports were to Europe
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.
This partnership allows Europe and the U.S. to counter Russian aggression and dependence and, in turn, makes the world a more stable place. U.S. LNG
companies have entered long-term contracts with European countries to continue bolstering this partnership, and it is critical that the U.S. remains a lead exporter of LNG to fulfill the commitments made to our trade
partners and allied countries. Even with these increased exports, however, Europe remained reliant on Russian imports to meet more than 10% of its natural gas demand in 2023
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.
With forthcoming European Union sanctions expected to block all Russian gas imports, the importance of offsetting lost supplies will only grow.
Moreover, global demand for natural gas is projected to grow for many years to come, as key allies in Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India continue to grow their economies. Put simply, stability in the West depends on
American energy exports.
Not only is the export of LNG critical for our allies abroad, but it is also critical to our economy at home. U.S. LNG exports reached a record high in 2023 cementing our status as the top exporter in the world
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https://www.iea.org/countries/russia
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https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-was-top-lng-exporter-2023-hit-record-levels-2024-01-
02/#:~:text=In%20November%2C%2068%25%20of%20U.S.,beginning%20of%20December%2C%20it%20reported.
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https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=60361
expanded market creates high-paying jobs for Americans, reduces our trade deficit, and bolsters our domestic economy. The U.S. natural gas industry supports more than 10 million American jobs, and indirectly generates an additional 3.7 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy for each direct job in the natural gas industry
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In 2021, the industry produced $909 billion in labor income or 6.4% of the U.S. national labor income
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The industry also supported nearly $1.8 trillion in U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 To hamstring an industry that provides millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in GDP would be blatantly against the public interest.
Continued U.S. leadership in exporting LNG also furthers global emissions goals. Unlike the United States where methane emissions are modest, regulated, and declining Russia’s natural gas production facilities and distribution networks are old, largely unregulated, and leaky. A recent study from the Rocky Mountain Institute also shows that transporting gas through Russian pipelines is three times more climate intensive than shipping it from the U.S
.
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Another 2019 Department of Energy report also found that the use of U.S. LNG exports for electricity generation that replaces existing sources in Europe and Asia would not increase greenhouse gas emissions. That same study shows that American LNG can be up to 30% cleaner than Russian natural gas and that if we do not fulfill the demand for LNG and let other countries like Russia control the markets, emissions will continue to rise. If the Biden administration is serious about addressing global climate goalsthe easiest way to achieve those goals is to bolster U.S. LNG production and exportation.
Natural gas production and U.S. LNG exports supply much-needed energy to our allies, sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans, and provide global environmental benefits. For these reasons, we urge you to direct the U.S. Department of Energy to issue U.S. LNG export licenses more rapidly rather than stop or pause the process.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns, and we look forward to working with you in Congress to accomplish these shared objectives.
Respectfully,
Carol D. Miller Henry Cuellar Co-Chair, Congressional Energy Export Caucus Co-Chair, Congressional Energy Export Caucus Jodey Arrington J. Luis Correa Co-Chair, Congressional Energy Export Caucus Co-Chair, Congressional Energy Export Caucus
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https://rmi.org/which-gas-will-europe-import-now-the-choice-matters-to-the-climate/
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S. Roman-White, S. Rai, J. Littlefield, G. Cooney, T. J. Skone, "Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States: 2019 Update," National Energy Technology Laboratory, Pittsburgh, September 12, 2019.
August Pfluger Mary Sattler Peltola
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Guy Reschenthaler Vicente Gonzalez
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Dan Meuser Jared Golden
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Alex X. Mooney Jim Costa
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Jake LaTurner Marie Gluesenkamp Perez
Member of Congress Member of Congress
John Curtis Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Ben Cline Michael Cloud
Member of Congress Member of Congress
Clay Higgins John H. Rutherford
Member of Congress Member of Congress
“Department of Energy’s plan to change the criteria used to approve new LNG export projects threatens national security, the economy, and clean energy goals … If the Biden administration is serious about addressing global climate goals the easiest way to achieve those goals is to bolster U.S. LNG production and exportation,” the letter reads.
“Natural gas production and U.S. LNG exports supply much-needed energy to our allies, sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans and provide global environmental benefits. For these reasons, we urge you to direct the U.S. Department of Energy to issue U.S. LNG export licenses more rapidly rather than stop or pause the process.”
Senate Republicans have already introduced a bill that would effectively overturn the policy if it becomes law, and their colleagues in the House are expected to introduce similar legislation shortly, according to Reuters.
The Daily Caller News Foundation asked several Senate Democrats representing states that produce considerable quantities of natural gas whether they would support the bill, but none of them provided a direct answer.
This week will see two hearings on the decision to pause approvals for LNG export terminals, with the House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled to examine the move on Tuesday and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s hearing set for Thursday.
While legislators on both sides of the aisle may be concerned about the policy and its geopolitical implications, eco-activists celebrated the hiatus as a victory for their movement.
Read rest at Daily Caller