U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tim Scott, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Buck Biden’s Attack on American Energy Exports, Boost American Energy Dominance

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 8, 2024 — U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) recently joined Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and 15 of their colleagues in introducing the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) by eliminating the requirement for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to authorize its export and instead giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process.

This legislation comes after President Biden handed a major victory to both Vladimir Putin and far-left climate activists by pausing approvals of pending applications for U.S. LNG exports. The President’s anti-energy decision is a major blow to American energy independence and will only increase global reliance on Russia and other bad actors around the world.

“Instead of strengthening U.S. energy security, President Biden has chosen to continue appeasing far-left Green New Deal enthusiasts by freezing new LNG project permits,” said Senator Britt. “Foreign customers will simply turn to other LNG suppliers across the globe, including to our primary adversaries. This irresponsible, job-killing move will effectively weaken America’s role as the world’s leading exporter of LNG and further diminish the American energy dominance that President Biden inherited. At every turn, this Administration puts its partisan agenda ahead of hardworking American families.”

“President Biden’s move to halt American energy exports is pure politics. In fact, exporting U.S. natural gas would actually lower global emissions. President Biden is dead set on bowing to the far-left and making the U.S. and our allies more reliant on foreign adversaries like Russia. Instead, I’m fighting to unleash America’s abundant natural resources, bolster our energy independence and safeguard our national security,” Senator Scott said.

In addition to Senators Britt and Scott, the bill was cosponsored by Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

The full text of the bill can be found here.

Background:

• Two weeks ago, the Biden administration paused approvals of pending applications for LNG exports.
• U.S. gas exports have more than quadrupled in the past decade, making America the largest natural gas exporter in the world.
• As tensions rise around the world, there is a growing demand for American energy from our international partners in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere.
• Our European allies, for example, have become increasingly reliant on the U.S. for LNG in light of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• This LNG plan places the Biden administration in the position of choosing between strengthening U.S. national security by helping our partners and allies or caving to progressive activists.

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