WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) released the following statement applauding President Trump’s reported plan to lift the Biden-Harris administration’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permitting freeze.
“The American people overwhelmingly voted against the status quo, including the Biden-Harris administration’s war on American energy,” said Dr. Cassidy. “On day one, President Trump will once again put the American worker above the environmental lobby and get our country back on track. This is great news for Louisiana!”
Background
Immediately following the Biden-Harris administration’s announcement that they would be freezing pending applications for LNG export permits, Cassidy led 25 of his Republican colleagues in condemning the decision. Our European allies, who have become increasingly reliant on the U.S. for LNG following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, will now be forced to decide between depriving their citizens of energy or actively funding Putin.
He also introduced with Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) the LNG Security Act to reverse President Biden’s decision to stop new American LNG export approvals and require the DOE to approve LNG exports to all countries that have imported, currently import, or are capable of importing Russian or Iranian natural gas. Additionally, he introduced the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, which depoliticizes the export of American liquefied natural gas. It eliminates the requirement for the DOE to authorize its export and instead gives the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sole authority over the approval process.
In February, Cassidy penned an op-ed with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Houston Chronicle underscoring the devastating economic, environmental, and national security impacts of the Biden-Harris decision to freeze new LNG export projects. In January, Cassidy questioned DOE Deputy Secretary David Turk on the rumors surrounding this decision and emphasized the energy, economic, environmental, and national security importance of U.S. LNG exports.
Cassidy delivered a speech on the U.S. Senator floor on the Biden-Harris administration’s hypocritical and backward LNG export permitting freeze in August. Watch it here.
###