Unlocking Our Domestic Lng Potential Act of 2024

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, I am so confused. President Biden took action to ensure that future LNG exports are actually in the interest of Americans. His action had no impact on current production of LNG.

Let me say that again. The projects that President Biden's order impacts are future projects. We are going to see if, in the future, those projects are in America's best interest.

What this bill does is not just overturns this pause on future actions; it goes so much further. It says all LNG exports must be in the public interest, and it prohibits the Department of Energy from finding otherwise.

Let's say, for example, these increased exports lead to higher rates for ratepayers, which may happen. The Republican bill says to forget about any kind of public interest review. It must be approved even if ratepayers' rates are higher.

If the increased exports all went to China, that would be in the public interest, too. If the exports lead to an exorbitant release of pollution, that would be in the public interest, too.

That simply defies logic and sense. It is a fundamentally unserious policy proposal. In fact, I would call it not really a policy proposal at all but a campaign-year idea to try to somehow make people think we are trying to stop LNG exports. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We have already permitted enough LNG exports to triple our export capacity by the 2030s. That is under current law. That is not something that President Biden's order is going to impact. That is more than enough LNG to assist our European and Asian allies.

The U.S. is already the world's top LNG exporter and will be for years to come, not to mention that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle know the Senate is never even going to take up this bill. Even if the Senate somehow did pass this, they know the President would never sign this bill into law. Also, this bill has already come up on two other occasions.

Like I said, we need to be clear about why the Republicans are bringing this bill to the floor. They think this will be some good campaign ads or something else. Like so much of what else we have done on the floor, this is not going anywhere.

I came here on behalf of my constituents to legislate. I came here to make the lives of the American people better. This bill doesn't do that.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source