Committee urges DOE to approve all LNG export applications

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has released a report on the global benefits of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to approve all remaining LNG export applications this year.

The committee released a policy paper titled Prosperity at Home and Strengthened Allies Abroad – A Global Perspective on Natural Gas Exports. Over the last year, the committee has analysed the effects of exporting LNG from the US through a series of hearings and an international forum. The report brings together the findings from this research, detailing the economic and geopolitical benefits of US LNG exports, and outlining the actions needed to realise them.

Affordable energy source
The committee concludes that LNG exports offer the opportunity for the US to improve the domestic economy, at the same time as providing the nation’s allies and trading partners an affordable and secure energy source. The report notes: “Our friends and allies around the globe desperately need a more stable, reliable, and affordable supply of natural gas, and American consumers and manufacturers need continued robust demand to bring additional resources into competitive production. The US has the opportunity to be the world’s preferred supplier, and the case for mutually beneficial trade is very strong.”

This opportunity will not exist indefinitely, and as such the committee has urged the DOE to approve all remaining export licenses by the end of the year and is considering legislative action to modernise the process and remove barriers.

The report concludes: “Given the scope of potential benefits from LNG exports, and the relatively narrow window to maximize the US energy advantage, it is imperative that the regulatory process be expedited so that these benefits can be realised. The committee will continue to pursue forward-looking policies to help realise the nation's newfound energy potential. The future is bright with the right policies in place.”

Comments
The committee chairman, Fred Upton, added: “A tremendous energy transformation is underway in this country and we now have opportunities that were unthinkable just a few short years ago. With the dramatic increase in American natural gas production, we now have the chance to become a natural gas exporting nation. Doing so would create jobs here at home and benefit American manufacturers and consumers while serving the interests of our global allies. The US must embrace its new role as a leader in energy diplomacy and act now on LNG exports before it’s too late”.

To view a copy of the committee’s report, Prosperity at Home and Strengthened Allies Abroad – A Global Perspective on Natural Gas Exports, click here.

To view a one pager on the report’s findings, click here.

To view frequently asked questions about the report’s findings, click here.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/05022014/doe_must_approve_remaining_lng_export_applications_124/