The Republican leaders of the Senate are sternly advising President Biden’s new climate czar, John Podesta, to reverse his administration’s strategy of cutting funding for energy projects that they claim are essential to protecting American employment and relationships with our allies.
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) handed Podesta a letter in Houston for the recurring CERAWeek energy conference in March. Podesta was joined by other public sector officials and business heavyweights. The letter detailed foreign policy and energy security issues in light of the recent climate policy decision by the Biden administration to halt the construction of several large LNG export terminals.
In an interview with FOX, Sullivan said LNG is here to stay. Using American LNG, one of the cleanest energy sources on the planet, and capitalizing on our energy independence is a powerful weapon in the fight against totalitarian governments. Radical environmentalists on the extreme left are undoubtedly behind this American LNG crisis and the meaningless moratorium the Biden administration declared. Nothing, not even science, can support it.
The allied states must be able to depend on the US for a stable, long-term fuel supply, especially with the crisis in Ukraine and escalating tensions in the Middle East and Asia. On the other hand, the government’s choice casts major doubt on the dependability of fuel supply and will result in severe consequences for both domestic and international affairs.
As part of an ongoing environmental assessment, Biden directed the Department of Energy to suspend LNG export facility licenses in January. This may go on for more than a year.
Legislators, business organizations, and ex-federal officials disapproved of the decision, saying that energy sales are vital to helping our European and Asian allies. Research indicates that exporting LNG might enhance local energy output and the US economy. According to their findings, it is projected to contribute $73 billion to the US economy by 2040, generate 453,000 US jobs, and raise buying power by $30 billion.
Critics argue that limiting U.S. LNG exports would not help the environment, as global consumers may rely more on coal or Russian gas, which are dirtier than U.S. LNG. Limiting US LNG exports would not impact the world’s demand for natural gas, as countries like Russia and Iran would produce less stringent energy, leading to increased global emissions.
