Biden to Stand Fast on LNG-Permit Halt, Energy Chief Signals
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The Biden administration won’t decide on any natural gas-export permits before the presidential term ends in late January, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm signaled.
New permits have been on hold for most of this year as government analysts researched the potential environmental, economic and national security impacts of U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas.
Although the results of the study will be published by the end of the year, Granholm indicated that’ll come too late for the current administration to take action before the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. That timing could set the stage for the fossil fuel-friendly Trump administration’s LNG policy being hamstrung by a Biden-era report. Granholm spoke at the COP29 climate summit in Azerbaijan on Nov. 15.
Under federal law, gas-export licenses must be found to be in the “public interest,” and any findings in the ongoing study could be used as fodder to challenge future approvals.
🚨 We're demanding @DOE STOP its efforts to rush out an anti-LNG study, which aims to intentionally hamstring President-elect Trump’s energy agenda. MORE ↓https://t.co/lP7L86dF3X — Energy and Commerce Committee (@HouseCommerce) November 15, 2024
“The study will be complete by the end of the year,” and “the study itself will speak for itself,” Granholm told reporters. “Obviously, we won’t be there to implement based upon the study, so we’ll have to see how it’s viewed by the next administration.”
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The pause announced in late January has halted companies from moving ahead with new projects and expansions, including Venture Global LNG Inc.’s CP2, Commonwealth LNG and Energy Transfer LP’s Lake Charles complex.
House Republicans rapped the Biden administration on Nov. 15 for rushing to publish the analysis in ways that could interfere with Trump’s Energy Department on the issue. Trump has vowed to begin issuing new LNG export licenses as soon as he takes office.
“The results of the 2024 presidential election are clear, and DOE leadership will soon change,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Granholm. “As a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power, DOE should immediately stop work on any plans to expand the scope of review or add new conditions to LNG export licenses.”
