The Importance of Natural Gas

Floor Speech

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Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this Special Order and for recognizing South Carolina's role in helping the Republic of Texas.

You heard the words from the gentleman from Ohio about the economic impact on his State, and on America, with America's energy independence and the renaissance that we are experiencing.

In a tax reform committee hearing today, Chairman Walden talked about the economic benefits of tax reform on the energy sector, but also on America.

We are blessed in this country with natural resources. We have an abundance of natural gas.

What does an abundance of natural gas mean? That means that, last year, for the first time since 1957, we are an exporter of natural gas.

Now what does that mean not only for American producers that are providing the natural gas and the LNG terminals that are being built along the coastal regions in Houston and Louisiana--and, hopefully, one day in South Carolina, we will have an LNG terminal to help us play a part in that--but what does that mean for our allies and friends around the world? Well, just think about it.

Mexico is a huge importer of U.S. LNG. Not only are they importing natural gas through a pipeline from the plays down in Eagle Ford and Barnett in Texas, but they are also importing LNG.

We all know the situation in Venezuela. Venezuela is imploding. So many countries in South America, Latin America, are relying on Venezuelan energy. The Caribbean nations are relying on Venezuelan energy. South American countries are relying on that.

If we can provide, through LNG exports, sustainable, reliable energy sources for the Caribbean nations, that is a game changer for them, the Panama Canal being a distribution hub for U.S. LNG to be distributed all through Latin America.

I was in Spain recently and talked with the Spanish folks. They want to be the LNG importer of American LNG so they can distribute across Western Europe so that Western Europe can be less reliant on Russian gas.

Europe is reliant on Russian gas, and Russia definitely has used the spigot for energy sources as a political tool against Europe. In fact, the Lithuanian President recently said this: ``U.S. gas imports to Lithuania and other European countries is a game changer in the European gas market. This is an opportunity for Europe to end its addiction to Russian gas and ensure a secure, competitive, and diversified supply.''

American LNG exported to our friends and allies around the world is a game changer for the geopolitics of energy. We can provide abundant natural gas that we have produced in this country to folks around the world and lessen their dependence on less reliable sources. American businesses will benefit from that, and our neighbors and friends will benefit from that. That is why it is so important.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this Special Order tonight and for allowing me to speak about something I am very passionate about and that is using the abundant resources we have in this country to change lives around the globe.

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