Unlocking Our Domestic Lng Potential Act of 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1009, I call up the bill (H.R. 7176) to repeal restrictions on the export and import of natural gas, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. DUNCAN. 7176.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024. I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation, which my friend and colleague from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), has introduced.

Since day one, President Biden has issued executive orders and given direction to the Federal agencies across the government to shut down American energy production, even at the expense of jobs, economic development, national security, and the climate. President Biden's decision to ban LNG exports in an election year is putting politics over people.

Let's be clear. The Biden administration does not appear to be against all oil and gas production--just American energy.

They begged OPEC to increase production, and they are turning a blind eye to Russia. Russia is exporting 40 percent more LNG to Europe today than it was before the invasion of Ukraine. Russia's energy exports are funding its war against Ukraine, padding the pockets of Vladimir Putin.

The reality is that global demand for natural gas is expected to increase 46 percent by 2050, and our European and Asian allies who want to do business with the United States of America now have to look to Qatar or to Russia or even to Iran to meet their growing energy needs.

LNG exports strengthen America's energy security, create jobs, and decrease energy prices here at home through American production.

U.S. LNG exports could support up to 452,000 additional American jobs and add up to $73 billion in the U.S. economy by 2040.

This bill will help deliver affordable, reliable, and cleaner burning American energy to Americans, create jobs, and strengthen our global leadership.

Let's vote to unlock our domestic LNG potential.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the third time is the charm. Let's get it done.

House Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee have focused on four main components: produce, deliver, utilize, and export.

Produce the abundant resources we have in this country.

Deliver those resources through pipelines, the need for pipeline permitting reform and buildout infrastructure.

Utilize resources to provide reliable, affordable, and clean energy for Americans.

Export to help our friends and allies around the globe to lower their carbon emissions and meet their energy needs, especially in Europe where they faced the invasion from Vladimir Putin into Ukraine.

They had a reality check on energy. They looked west to the United States to export more. We can do it, and we need to do it through LNG exports.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, thank goodness for the policies of the last administration. This administration seems to be touting that it has increased production. That came about because of policies of the Trump administration, when, on day one, the Biden administration shut down oil and gas leases, stopped American energy production, shut down pipeline projects, and thwarted the American energy sector.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, the fear-mongering from the Democrats is ludicrous. Spot prices for natural gas in December 2023 were only 53 cents higher than they were in 2016. We can export American natural gas, produce more natural gas in this country, and help Americans and help our allies and friends around the world with their energy security, with their quality of life, and with their standard of living.

Dr. Joyce from Pennsylvania knows it well because he represents the Marcellus shale.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, Vladimir Putin is selling 40 percent more natural gas to Europe now than he did before the Ukraine war. By not selling Europe American LNG, the administration is putting money in Vladimir Putin's pockets for him to fund the war.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Texas knows about energy.
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Mr. DUNCAN. We are glad the majority leader of the House is back in Congress.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I love to hear the Democrats talk about increased production and the levels of production now. These projects don't happen overnight. They started during the Trump administration with their policies.

Go back to the Obama administration, where oil and gas production increased on State and private land, not Federal land, because the Obama administration was against that. Then, President Trump opened up more Federal land.

However, on day one, President Biden signed executive orders to stop oil and gas leasing on Federal land. He shut down the Keystone pipeline.

My Democratic colleagues have thwarted energy projects over and over. This is another attempt to stop LNG export, and it hurts our friends and allies across the globe.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, after we lifted the crude oil export ban, Americans know what they were paying at the pump before the Biden administration. They were paying lower gas prices. They are paying much higher gas prices, commodity prices. Everything has gone up due to the Biden inflation.

He chairs the Natural Resources Committee.

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Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, the United States of America is blessed with abundant natural resources. Unfortunately, we are cursed with liberal politicians who don't want American companies and American investors and entrepreneurs to go after the resources to help Americans.

When we had a spike in energy prices during the Biden administration, President Biden didn't fly to Midland, Texas; he didn't fly to North Dakota; he didn't fly to Louisiana and beg those producers to produce more. Where did he fly? He flew to Saudi Arabia to beg the OPEC cartel to produce more so that we could import it--political stunt there--to help lower prices for Americans versus using American resources and American companies and American jobs.

This indefinite pause on LNG exports is misguided, but Americans need to know this wasn't an executive order that had no input from the public. It wasn't a piece of legislation that passed. He did it by a press release, directing an agency to pause LNG exports.

Let's talk about Ukraine today. We have heard a lot of that. Vladimir Putin and his energy oligarchs are exporting to Europe 40 percent more than they did before the war in Ukraine. That is more money flowing right into the pocket of Vladimir Putin to fund his war effort in Ukraine.

I would rather that money flow into the pockets of American energy producers and tax bases and to communities all around this country that produce energy by exporting more to help our friends and allies. America has never used the spigot of energy exported to influence policy in any country, but Vladimir Putin has turned the spigot on and off many times to influence policy in Europe.

Let's pass this legislation. Let's continue to export cleaner burning, American-produced natural gas. Let's produce more, deliver more, utilize more, and export more to help our friends and allies around the world improve their quality of life and improve their energy security.

Mr. Speaker, this is right for America. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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