Summary
The Biden administration announced that the Department of Energy would be pausing permit approvals for new liquified natural gas (LNG) export facilities. This temporary move was transformed into an unlikely political lightning rod. The pause is meant to assess whether it is in the public interest to build new export facilities. LNG process (from drilling to liquefaction and transportation) is worse than burning coal, authors say. Studies have found that exporting gas raises prices for U.S. consumers. There is ample evidence that gas export facilities release harmful air pollutants that pose substantial health risks to frontline communities. Republicans are trying to tie a repeal of the LNG pause to unrelated legislation. Natural gas exports have increased 226 percent since 2016, and crude oil exports have risen 751 percent. Already approved but not-yet-built facilities will triple the nation’s LNG export capacity. President Biden should stop all LNG export plants and roll back the export facilities that are already approved but not yet built. Biden surely knows by now that his opponents are not merely seeking to undo this LNG pause, they hope to dismantle every part of his climate and clean energy legacy. Mitch Jones is managing director of Policy and Litigation at Food & Water Watch. He says President Biden has spoken of the existential threat posed by the climate crisis. He must begin to govern like a leader, take stronger action, and stand up to those who would seek to undo the temporary LNG pause.