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A big coalition of greater than 30 fossil fuel industry associations is elevating the alarm over an anticipated White House determination to delay allowing for key natural gas export amenities over their potential local weather impacts.
The teams — together with the American Petroleum Institute (API) and American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC) — penned a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, saying the actions could be a “major mistake,” harming U.S. jobs and placing allies in danger. The letter got here shortly after The New York Times reported President Biden will quickly order local weather affect analyses for 17 proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects.
“The United States is the world leader in natural gas production, meeting record domestic demand and becoming the top exporter of LNG in 2023,” the joint letter said. “Our nation’s abundant supply of natural gas is an impactful geopolitical tool, helping insulate American consumers from increasing global instability while advancing American national interests and ensuring the energy security of key U.S. allies.”
“Moving forward with a pause on U.S. LNG export approvals would only bolster Russian influence and undercut President Biden’s own commitment to supply our allies with reliable energy, undermining American credibility and threatening American jobs,” they continued.
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President Biden is anticipated to order the Department of Energy to delay permits for main natural gas export amenities over their local weather impacts. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
According to industry, LNG export amenities are very important to fulfill vitality demand in Europe and Asia as nations look to wean off Russian natural gas provides. In the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Biden traveled to Europe and struck a take care of the European Union, vowing to ship extra U.S. LNG to the bloc.
And this month, vitality associations Eurogas and the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) issued robust statements of help for continued allowing of U.S. LNG export terminals. Eurogas reiterated such exports have been crucial for making certain the total section down of Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas, whereas ANGEA added U.S. LNG is required to fulfill Asia’s decarbonization objectives.
However, the New York Times report Wednesday, citing three unnamed officers with data of inner deliberations, said Biden would require the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a extra rigorous environmental evaluate course of for 17 pending LNG export terminals.
While the DOE nonetheless must log out on the proposed projects’ permits, it was not beforehand required to research their contribution to local weather change. The company has by no means earlier than rejected a gas export utility on local weather grounds.
Energy industry teams penned the letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc by way of Getty Images)
“This would be a win for Russia and a loss for American allies, U.S. jobs and global climate progress,” API CEO Mike Sommers mentioned in an announcement. “There is no review needed to understand the clear benefits of U.S. LNG for stabilizing global energy markets, supporting thousands of American jobs and reducing emissions around the world by transitioning countries toward cleaner fuels.”
“This is nothing more than a broken promise to U.S. allies, and it’s time for the administration to stop playing politics with global energy security,” he mentioned.
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In addition, proponents of elevated LNG exports have famous that transitioning the world’s financial system to extra natural gas reliance would additionally assist guarantee nations meet decarbonization objectives. Without elevated LNG, they argue, nations would rely extra closely on coal-fired energy era, which has a a lot bigger carbon footprint when burned than natural gas energy era.
The industry letter to Granholm famous that the U.S. has led the world in carbon emissions reductions thanks largely to higher reliance on natural gas. Coal produced the most important share of electrical energy generated within the U.S. for a long time till 2015 when natural gas surpassed it.
A tank automotive transporting LNG is pictured in Germany. In an announcement this month, industry group Eurogas mentioned “if additional U.S. LNG export capacities would not materialise it would risk increasing and prolonging the global supply imbalance.” (Bodo Marks/image alliance by way of Getty Images)
“America should be exporting more LNG not less, and any action or future plan to hinder American LNG exports, including the White House’s reported pause on CP2, is misguided policy that undermines the US economy, our allies’ security, and global emissions goals,” AXPC CEO Anne Bradbury mentioned in an announcement.
Among the projects that will be impacted by the DOE’s evaluate is the so-called Calcasieu Pass 2 (CP2) challenge, a proposed $10 billion LNG terminal situated on a 546-acre website in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, which might be the most important export terminal of its variety within the nation.
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According to its developer Venture Global, the power would have a nameplate export capability of 20 million metric tonnes every year (MTPA) of LNG and a peak capability of about 24 MTPA. In 2023, the U.S. exported 88.9 MT of LNG, in line with a FOX Business evaluation of tanker monitoring knowledge, that means the CP2 facility would alone enhance exports by a staggering 23%.
“It appears that individuals within the White House are trying to force policymaking through leaks to the media. This continues to create uncertainty about whether our allies can rely on US LNG for their energy security,” Shaylyn Hynes, a spokesperson for vitality developer Venture Global, mentioned in an announcement. “If this leaked report from anonymous White House sources is true, it appears the Administration may be putting a moratorium on the entire U.S. LNG industry.”
“Such an action would shock the global energy market, having the impact of an economic sanction, and send a devastating signal to our allies that they can no longer rely on the United States,” Hynes added. “The true irony is this policy would hurt the climate and lead to increased emissions as it would force the world to pivot to coal.”
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