Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today joined more than 20 fellow senators in urging Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support continued exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The letter comes in the wake of Democrat senators’ asking Granholm to limit American LNG exports.
“. . . the Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported several power plants that burn fuel oil had to be reactivated in January to help meet demand, due to natural gas pipeline constraints. Obstructing new LNG exports could also have the unintended effect of increasing global LNG prices, which would correlate to increased energy costs for customers in the United States,” wrote the senators.
“Geopolitically, NATO member states and countries such as South Korea and Japan rely on the relative certainty associated with the U.S. LNG regulatory model. . . . We encourage your department to issue non-free trade agreement export licenses in a timely manner to ensure the global market continues to view U.S. LNG as a dependable source of energy and a reliable alternative to strategic competitors like Russia,” the senators continued.
“Increased production and export volumes of U.S. natural gas encourage developing nations to use a cleaner fuel source. Investing in domestic oil and gas production creates U.S. jobs. It lowers domestic and global emissions. It also increases U.S. energy security and makes us essential to the energy security of others. We ask that you please consider these factors in your ongoing efforts to facilitate the supply of energy commodities to our allies and partners, while simultaneously securing clean and reliable energy domestically,” concluded the senators.
The senators also directed the letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Louisiana produces more LNG than any other state and accounted for 55 percent of U.S. LNG exports in 2020. That production played a significant part in turning America into the world’s largest LNG exporter.
The letter is available here.