WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) today praised the U.S. Department of Energy’s final rule to streamline the approval of small-scale exports of American-made liquefied natural gas (LNG) to foreign countries, including those in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The Trump Administration’s new policy is virtually identical to legislation proposed in October by Cassidy and Rubio, which passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in March with bi-partisan support.
“I applaud the Trump Administration for recognizing the benefits of our proposal and putting it into practice,” said Dr. Cassidy, a member of the Energy Committee. “This decision is a win for Louisiana workers, a win for the environment, and a win for our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere.”
“I commend the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will seek to expedite the approval of certain natural gas exports,” said Sen. Rubio. “This policy, which Sen. Cassidy and I have touted through our Small-Scale LNG Access Act, will boost a growing segment of Florida’s economy as well as expand and strengthen U.S. ties with our Caribbean and Latin American partners.”
In October, Cassidy and Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and John Barrasso (R-WY) wrote to Energy Secretary Rick Perry in support of the department’s proposed rule, arguing that “U.S. natural gas offers a cleaner alternative to the fuel sources relied upon by many Caribbean, Central American, and South American countries.”
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