WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee member Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) today introduced H.R. 351, the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act, a bill to help expedite the approval of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects.
Increasing U.S. LNG exports will help strengthen the domestic economy and create U.S. jobs while increasing energy security for our allies abroad. By 2018, the construction of new LNG export projects is estimated to create up to 45,000 American jobs. This legislation would bring certainty to DOE’s export approval process and help eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic delays that have held up construction of LNG projects. It places a 30-day deadline on DOE to issue a final decision on applications following the conclusion of the NEPA environmental review of the LNG facilities. Several Republican and Democratic colleagues joined Johnson in cosponsoring the bill, which mirrors legislation that passed the House in the 113th Congress by a strong bipartisan vote.
“Due to the shale development taking place across Eastern and Southeastern Ohio, and throughout the country, America is able to produce large quantities of natural gas like never before. The economic and geopolitical benefits associated with expanding LNG exports are significant and important," said Johnson. “For too long the approval process for LNG export permits has been bogged down by bureaucratic red tape. I’m honored to have introduced this bipartisan legislation to expedite the approval process for LNG export permits."
“With our vast LNG resources, we have a chance to help our global allies and ourselves, and this bipartisan bill will ensure we don’t squander the opportunity before us," added House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). “Less than a decade ago we were building LNG import terminals to meet our energy needs. But today, thanks to the shale boom, LNG export terminals are in high demand as the rest of the world seeks to buy our natural gas excess. We need policies that accommodate this dramatic energy turnaround. This bill is one important part of the Architecture of Abundance, and it will send the signal to our Eastern European friends that affordable U.S. gas will be an available alternative to Russian energy. I look forward to moving this commonsense bill across the finish line. Creating jobs and helping our allies - this bill is a win-win."
