The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“LNG PERMITTING CERTAINTY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E143 on Feb. 2, 2015.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
LNG PERMITTING CERTAINTY AND TRANSPARENCY ACT
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speech of
HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 351, which would create arbitrary and rigid deadlines for Department of Energy
(DOE) approval of LNG exports. Rather than speeding up the approval process, this unnecessary legislation would likely force the Department to deny projects because they will not have the time to fully consider their impacts.
The Department of Energy is one of two agencies that must approve LNG export terminals. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must first approve the terminal infrastructure, and then DOE must consider whether or not each facility's exports are in the national interest. That DOE review encompasses a number of considerations, including the environmental and domestic energy price impacts.
DOE has been working to refine this process and has approved several terminals, dramatically increasing the amount of LNG that will be exported from the United States. This shift in U.S. energy policy, from import to export, requires a complete review of the cumulative impact. For example, we should carefully monitor and control methane leakage along the natural gas supply chain, which has a potent impact on climate change. And a number of domestic manufacturers have expressed concern about the impact of exports on energy prices here at home.
I am not opposed to some responsible expansion of LNG exports, but it must be done in a way that protects the environment and American taxpayers. The Department of Energy has been charged, rightly, with protecting the public interest in this process. We should not arbitrarily short-circuit that critical effort. I urge a no vote.
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