Joe Biden Hits Brakes On Gas Projects Amid Surge In U.S. Exports
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Joe Biden on Friday temporarily paused approval of new liquefied natural gas export projects, pending a thorough analysis of how shipments will impact global climate change.
The move, which follows a growing pressure campaign from climate activists, effectively freezes nearly a dozen LNG export projects currently in the pipeline, including the $10 billion Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, project on Louisiana's coast. If built, CP2 would be one of the largest LNG export facilities on the planet.
In a statement announcing the decision, Biden said that the pause "sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time," and allows his administration to "take a hard look at the impacts of LNG exports on energy costs, America's energy security, and our environment."
"While MAGA Republicans willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis, condemning the American people to a dangerous future, my Administration will not be complacent," he said, referring to supporters of former President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement. "We will not cede to special interests."
The U.S. is the largest exporter of LNG, a planet-warming fossil fuel that a recent study from Cornell University determined has a larger greenhouse gas footprint than burning coal.
Environmentalists, many of whom have argued that Biden hasn't acted aggressively enough to curb planet-warming emissions, hailed Friday's announcement as a monumental victory for the climate and front-line communities along the Gulf Coast most impacted by the rapid build-out of gas infrastructure.
"I'm thankful for this pause in granting gas export licenses; the [Department of Energy] has finally heard the wake-up call," James Hiatt, the director of For a Better Bayou, an environmental justice organization in southern Louisiana, said in a statement.
"The gas industry was planning to inundate my hometown with LNG terminals. These gas export terminals, like CP2, are not just an environmental threat; they're an economic burden on American families."
Many argued that the Biden administration must go further and permanently block new facilities from being built.
"Given the massive volume of LNG currently being exported, and the numerous additional projects already approved and set to come online in coming years, anything less than a permanent halt to further expansion of this deadly industry is unacceptable," Wenonah Hauter, the executive director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement. "Hopefully this pause represents the beginning of the end of fossil fuel exports in America."
The American Petroleum Institute, the main trade association for the U.S. oil and gas sector, condemned the pause as "a win for Russia and a loss for American allies" that are importing U.S. gas.
"This is nothing more than a broken promise to U.S. allies, and it's time for the administration to stop playing politics with global energy security," API President and CEO Mike Sommers said. "The announcement undercuts President Biden's own pledge to send increased U.S. LNG supplies to our allies overseas to help end dependence on Russian gas."
The White House emphasized that Friday's move will not impact the United States' ability to supply Europe with LNG in the short term and that the U.S. "remains unwavering in our commitment to supporting our allies around the world." The pause "is subject to exception for unanticipated and immediate national security emergencies," it said.
In an interview with NPR on Friday morning, Ali Zaidi, the White House national climate adviser, dismissed the idea that the LNG pause has anything to do with polling that shows a majority of Americans disapprove of Biden's handling of climate change.
"This decision flows very clearly from the president's incredibly strong leadership on climate change, which has been front and center from Day 1," Zaidi told NPR.
"This is the next step in a presidency where the president, very clearly from Day 1, has been unafraid to follow the facts, dedicated to following the science and front-line communities, and has had a very strong commitment to taking climate action," he added.
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This kills two birds with one stone.
1) Biden panders to the green fanatics going into the election.
2) Biden retaliates against the Great State of Texas.
How so? Texas isn't just the major producer, it also uses more natural gas than any other state, it has the most storage and the most pipelines.
And in spite of that, we still import natural gas from Canada to the tune of 3 trillion cubic feet while exports in 2022 were 6.9 trillion cubic feet.
So a pause won't affect Texas or any other state in the present.
Pausing any new energy resources is detrimental to the future. Especially with the millions of illegal immigrants Brandon is importing every year.
Short sighted stupidity on part of the Human Fuck Up Machine yet again.
Please describe the new energy resource mentioned in the article.
Can't discuss the topic so you deflect again with off topic BS and name calling?
What point is there in making comments like this? SMH
Look, Biden wanted the economic benefit of fossil fuel exports because it looked like the country was headed for recession. Now that the financial shysters have declared victory over recession, Biden can afford to throw consumers under the bus and pander to phony environmental shysters.
You know, there ain't an honest player in any of the politics. All of this is about gaming the system to score political points. No matter who Biden panders to or who Biden throws under the bus, all of this is about money. Biden just shifts the skim around to get votes. Naturally some of the shysters are going to complain about being cheated out of a share.
How does not building more export facilities for the EU affect natural gas consumer prices? It has zero to do with the US market.
There, fixed it for you.