US Review of LNG Exports in Final Stretch, Official Says
The Biden administration, which in January paused pending decisions on liquefied natural gas exports to allow it to review criteria for approving LNG export applications, plans to release the results of its study in “mid-December,” an Energy Department official said Dec. 4.
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A public comment period of “at least 60 days” is planned, said Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, who testified before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs.
Crabtree also testified that since a federal judge ordered the administration in July to end the pause (see 2407030058), the department has approved one project, whose applicant was New Fortress Energy. DOJ is appealing the judge’s decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
At the subcommittee hearing, Republican lawmakers reiterated their opposition to the pause, saying it has created uncertainty among allies about the reliability of U.S. fuel supplies. “I had two different European allies come into our office begging us to have the president lift” the pause, said Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, the subcommittee’s chairman.
Crabtree testified that U.S. LNG exports are plentiful and growing. “The U.S. is already the No. 1 exporter of LNG worldwide, with U.S. LNG exports expected to double by the end of this decade,” he said.
Fallon also said he’s concerned the Biden administration might be trying to “skew the record” with its study to make it more difficult for President-elect Donald Trump, a proponent of increased American energy production, to end the pause when he takes office in January. Crabtree said he has had no interaction with the White House on the study, which will rely on the “most up-to-date and robust data and analyses.”