Decision to limit LNG export threatens national security: US lawmakers

The recent decision to limit the export of US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) threatens the country's national security, economy, and clean energy goals, a bipartisan group of nearly two dozen lawmakers told President Joe Biden.

With forthcoming European Union sanctions expected to block all Russian gas imports, the importance of offsetting lost supplies will only grow.

"Moreover, global demand for natural gas is projected to grow for many years to come, as key allies in Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India continue to grow their economies. Put simply, stability in the West depends on American energy exports, a group of 23 Congressmen wrote in a letter to Biden.

In the letter dated February 5, Congresswoman Carol Miller and her fellow Energy Export Caucus co-chairs led a bipartisan letter to Biden to voice their concern on the Administration's decision to limit the export of LNG. The letter highlights how the Department of Energy's proposed plan threatens the United States' national security, economy, and clean energy goals.

The foremost concern with limiting LNG exports is the impact on our national security. The ongoing war in Ukraine has brought to light a concerning reliance on Russian gas across Europe. Since the start of the war, Europe has committed to phase out its dependency on Russian gas before the end of the decade, the lawmakers wrote.

That is no easy task as Russian gas accounted for more than 40 per cent of the European Union's gas supply in 2021.

We were pleased to see your March 2022 pledge to help Europe achieve its goals of reducing dependence on Russian gas imports by delivering 50 billion cubic meters (bcm) of additional US LNG to Europe through at least 2030, they wrote.

According to the lawmakers, not only is the export of LNG critical for its allies abroad, but it is also critical to the US economy at home.

US LNG exports reached a record high in 2023cementing its status as the top exporter in the world. This expanded market creates high-paying jobs for Americans, reduces its trade deficit, and bolsters the domestic economy.

The US natural gas industry supports more than 10 million American jobs, and indirectly generates an additional 3.7 jobs elsewhere in the US economy for each direct job in the natural gas industry, they asserted.

Further, continued US leadership in exporting LNG also furthers global emissions goals. Unlike the United States where methane emissions are modest, regulated, and decliningRussia's natural gas production facilities and distribution networks are old, largely unregulated, and leaky.

If the Biden administration is serious about addressing global climate goals the easiest way to achieve those goals is to bolster the US LNG production and exportation, the lawmakers said in the letter.