Letter to Hon. Richard Glick, Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-Upton, Rodgers Send Letters to Sec. Granholm and FERC Urging Approval of LNG Export Facilities and Natural Gas Pipelines

Letter

Dear Chairman Glick:

We write with great concern for energy security in the United States and Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We urge you to act immediately to approve pending natural gas permits that have been delayed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Many of these applications are routine and require no additional review. Doing so will provide immediate relief to U.S. workers, energy consumers, and our allies who must diversify away from Russian supplies and funding Putin's war chest.

We are inspired by the people of Ukraine, who are fighting for their self-determination and their freedom. In this moment, we are reminded of the importance of energy security here in the U.S. and abroad. As we consider the vital role of energy, we believe that American energy is the most critical weapon against Putin and his aggression. Now more than ever, it is time for FERC to regain focus on its core mission, flip the switch, and unleash American oil and gas production and exports.

Unfortunately, it is now clear that the Administration's anti-American energy polices have weakened our energy security by contributing to the U.S. and Europe's growing dependency on Russian oil and natural gas. Since President Biden took office, the Administration has revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, imposed a moratorium on fossil energy development on Federal lands and waters, and stifled U.S. energy production through bureaucratic delays and regulatory uncertainty. As a result, the prices of crude oil and many energy commodities have risen to seven-year highs, U.S. inflation is surging, and Russia has strengthened its grip on European energy supplies and global markets.

It is past time to restore energy security as a central goal of American energy policy. As you know, the United States is the world's leading producer of natural gas and is on track to be the world's largest exporter by the end of 2022.1 We must unleash our vast reserves of energy. U.S. energy workers can produce significantly more oil and natural gas than they do today, which will boost our economy, and improve both our energy security and the security of our allies, who are currently dependent on Russian oil and natural gas.

At present, a lack of pipeline and LNG export capacity is hampering our ability to respond to global energy price spikes and support our allies in Europe. Regulatory uncertainty and delays surrounding pipeline approvals have already led to the cancelation of at least four major U.S. pipeline projects that could have served more than 25 million homes. The cancelation of these four pipelines has already restricted nearly 10 percent of U.S. natural gas production.2 And other pipelines, like Line 5, which is critical to providing fuels to Michigan and Ohio, are under threat. We are concerned that politically motivated opposition to other proposed infrastructure projects will inflict further damage to our energy industry.

We understand there is a growing number of pending permits before the FERC, many of which are routine applications, that have been needlessly postponed while FERC conducted an internal policy review. We were troubled to learn that FERC, in a controversial 3-2 vote, recently decided to revoke the longstanding, bipartisan policy for review of natural gas pipelines and LNG export facilities and replace it with a radical climate agenda that exceeds FERC's statutory authorities.3 We believe FERC's misguided decision will make it more difficult to build natural gas projects in the United States, which harms American energy consumers and strengthens Russia's grip on Europe's energy supply.

Pursuant to the Natural Gas Act (P.L. 75-688), FERC has limited authority to authorize the siting and construction of LNG export facilities and to determine whether an interstate pipeline project "is or will be required by the present or future public convenience and necessity." In light of our oversight responsibilities over national energy policy, and to assist with our assessment of America's energy security challenges, we ask that you respond to the following by March 9, 2022.

1. Please provide a list of all natural gas pipeline applications that have been pending before the Commission for more than 3 months. Please also include a description of the application, the schedule for a final decision, and an explanation for any delays that may prevent the project from meeting its proposed in-service date.

2. Please provide a list of all LNG export facility applications that are pending before FERC. Please also include a description of the application, the schedule for a final
decision, and an explanation for any delays that may prevent the project from meeting its proposed in-service date.

3. Explain what steps FERC will take to expedite the authorization of new pipelines and LNG export capacity to encourage U.S. natural gas production growth, enhance the public benefits of energy security, and support European energy security.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this request. Please have your staff work with our Minority Committee staff to address any questions about complying with this request.

Sincerely,

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