(Texas Scorecard) – U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington and his fellow co-chairs of the House Energy Export Caucus led a bipartisan group of over 50 members of Congress in a letter demanding the Biden-Harris administration authorize liquified natural gas export permits after a federal judge blocked the administration’s ban on new permits.
“Thankfully, Biden’s ban on American LNG export permits was blocked. Yet, his administration is still dragging its heels on approving these permits in an attempt to placate the far-Left,” said Arrington (R-19) in a press release on Wednesday.
Among other legal actions taken to halt the Biden administration’s climate agenda, Texas joined other states in the lawsuit to stop the Biden administration’s pause on applications to export LNG, which was initiated at the beginning of 2024.
In early July, Trump administration appointee Judge James Cain of the Western District of Louisiana, ruled to reverse a Department of Energy (DOE) pause on reviewing LNG permits and, according to Politico, “granted a request for a stay from 16 red states that had challenged the pause, arguing it will harm their economies.”
Tuesday’s letter from Arrington and House Energy Export Caucus colleagues urged the DOE to “swiftly review and approve” LNG applications since it is an energy source that critically serves the American economy.
“The benefits of U.S. LNG exports are well-established—they support thousands of American jobs, help stabilize global energy markets, and drive emissions reductions worldwide,” said American Petroleum Institute Vice President of Natural Gas Markets Rob Jennings.
Jennings added, “Limiting these exports risks ceding America’s energy advantage to hostile nations and undermining our national security.”
Additionally, the lawmakers pointed out that the U.S. exports of LNG are vital to our European allies, now facing critical energy shortages since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting economic consequences.
“Since his first day in office, President Biden has launched a unilateral assault on American oil and gas, choking the lifeblood of our economy, crushing consumers with high energy costs, and sending oil production overseas — enriching our adversaries like Russia and China,” said Arrington.