WASHINGTON, DC - Energy Subcommittee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) issued the following statement after the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a final rule to improve the approval process for exporting small volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries with which the U.S. doesn’t have a free trade agreement.
“This committee has been at the forefront, promoting domestic energy infrastructure and capitalizing on our nation’s energy abundance," said #SubEnergy Chairman Upton. “While I’m encouraged by DOE’s final rule to streamline the process for approving small-scale shipments of LNG, it’s important to have a congressional mandate that provides more certainty to American companies that want to export to emerging markets in the Caribbean and Latin America, who are looking to modernize their electric grids and reduce their reliance on oil imports from unstable suppliers. After visiting Puerto Rico following the devastating hurricanes in 2017, its clear to me that U.S. LNG exports could also play an important role to help rebuild the island. I thank Congressman Johnson for his efforts on this matter and I hope we can get his legislation to the House floor for a vote soon."
Background:
In May 2017, the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced H.R. 4606, the Ensuring Small Scale LNG Certainty and Access Act, to the House of Representatives. H.R. 4606, authored by Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), would provide that applications under the Natural Gas Act for the import or export of small volumes of natural gas shall be approved without modification or delay. H.R. 4606 would open-up new markets for American exports in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America, and preserve existing environmental laws to ensure that small scale export facilities receive the proper review.
