Johnson Introduces the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act

Statement

By Dan Schneider

Representative Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after introducing H.R. 351, the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act -- legislation that would expedite the approval process for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits. To date, the Department of Energy has only issued a final decision on 5 of the 37 Non-FTA (Free Trade Agreements) applications it has received since 2010:

"Thanks to the energy renaissance occurring throughout Eastern and Southeastern Ohio, and across the United States, America is able to produce large quantities of natural gas like never before -- enough to both meet our domestic natural gas demands, and export excess LNG to the global marketplace," Bill Johnson said.

"Exporting our natural gas not only provides significant economic benefits here at home, but important geopolitical ones as well. The U.S. can curb the influence of rogue countries like Russia and Iran who use their natural gas reserves as leverage against our European allies. Simply increasing our LNG exports will provide our allies across the globe with a safe and trustworthy trading partner, while providing more jobs here at home.

"Last year, this important legislation overwhelmingly passed the House in a bipartisan vote, and I'm honored to introduce this legislation in the 114th Congress. I'm confident that the House, in conjunction with the Energy and Commerce Committee, will act swiftly to approve this bipartisan measure. The Department of Energy has stood in the way of progress for too long."

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