Why I voted Yes on H.R. 351

Statement

I voted "Yes" on H.R. 351, the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act.

Due to recent and projected increases in American natural gas production, analysts say that the United States has enough natural gas to both meet our domestic needs and export to our friends and allies. Currently, the Department of Energy reviews applications to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries with which the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement, but there is no timeline for the agency to make any decision. Since 2010, the Department has only issued a final decision on 5 of the 37 applications to export LNG to these nations. This unnecessarily slow bureaucratic process is holding back economic growth in the U.S., as well as our ability to make the world more secure.

H.R. 351 would simply place a 30 day deadline on issuing a final decision on applications to export LNG following the conclusion of the necessary environmental reviews, provide for expedited judicial review, and require public disclosure of export destinations as a condition for approval of authorization to export LNG.

Given that the United States has more than enough natural gas supply to effectively meet our own needs for heating, transportation, manufacturing and other uses, it makes sense to also export some of this energy to our friends to create more wealth here at home. By 2018, the construction of new LNG export projects is estimated to create up to 45,000 jobs on these infrastructure projects. Additionally, more American-made energy on the global markets would help nations across the globe be less reliant on hostile regimes like Iran and Russia for their energy needs. Recent events in Ukraine, for example, indicate that the energy supplies of nations in regions like Eastern Europe can essentially be held hostage by belligerent countries like Russia.

I supported this legislation in order to increase job creation through energy and infrastructure work here at home while also providing nations across the globe with an opportunity to buy their energy from us instead of potential enemies.

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