Democrats Say Biden's Pause on LNG Is Like 'Throwing a Match in a Bale of Hay'

A robust chorus of congressional Democrats, business leaders and Republicans, as well as international allies, are calling on President Joe Biden to undo the pause he placed on liquefied natural gas exports. Almost in unison, they say his decision undermines his climate agenda, jeopardizes national security, empowers Russia and Iran, and creates a schism with allies who depend on this clean energy from the U.S. to fuel their countries.

Longtime Ohio Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan admitted in a post on X that the halt was "a major political issue that the D's have just put themselves squarely on the wrong side" and would hurt his party's ability to win seats in the Great Lakes Midwest.

Pennsylvania Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey Jr. said in a joint statement to the Washington Examiner that as senators' who represent the second largest natural gas-producing state, they were going to push Biden to undo his decision.

"This industry has created good-paying energy jobs in towns and communities across the Commonwealth and has played a critical role in promoting U.S. energy independence," the statement said. They said the immediate impact on Pennsylvania remains to be seen, but they have deep concerns about the long-term impact this pause will have on the thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania's natural gas industry.

On Jan. 26, the Biden administration announced it was halting approval of new licenses to export United States LNG so it can continue studying how those shipments supposedly contribute to climate change.

The decision was pegged immediately as a gesture to shore up young people and climate activists for the November election, especially when Biden admitted his decision was based on "heeding the calls of young people." He charged that "MAGA Republicans ... willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis."

Mary Landrieu, a Democrat who served as a U.S. senator from Louisiana and is now a senior policy adviser for Van Ness Feldman, an advocacy firm on energy, environment and land-use issues, said as a supporter of Biden, she is deeply disappointed in his decision for a number of reasons.

"I think politically it's the wrong step for our economy and it undermines the president's own climate initiatives," she said.

Landrieu said that while Biden's work on passing the CHIPS Act and the infrastructure bill laid a foundation for an industrial renaissance in the United States, "This action undermines that entire effort. ... The reason it does is because natural gas is the only available, scalable, low cost, lower emission fuel or foundational fuel to build this economy."

Landrieu noted the country does not have enough nuclear power or hydropower to facilitate that, "And while wind and solar are coming on and we are excited about that advance, they are not sufficient, nor do they run 24/7," she said.

...continued

swipe to next page