Washington, DC: Today, Congressman Mike Turner continued his bipartisan effort to increase U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
A leader on this issue for several years, Congressman Turner reintroduced his bipartisan legislation, the American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act, that would streamline the Department of Energy’s regulatory process to export U.S. natural gas to World Trade Organization (WTO) countries.
“This legislation is an opportunity for the United States to demonstrate international leadership, establish an active presence in the global energy market, and simultaneously retain huge and immediate economic benefits here at home,” said Turner.
“Over the last year, it has become clear through Putin’s actions that Russia will continue to use its energy resource dominance as a geopolitical weapon against our European allies. Putin’s functional monopoly on natural gas exports in Europe has left our allies vulnerable and without options, posing a direct threat to their security and independence.
On March 26, 2014, following the U.S. E.U. Summit, President Obama and leaders of the European Union issued a joint statement welcoming “the prospect of U.S. LNG exports in the future since additional global supplies will benefit Europe and other strategic partners.”
“These statements were encouraging, but they are not enough. This legislation is the opportunity to put that intent into concrete action,” said Turner.
"The American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act would lift the self-imposed restrictions on U.S. natural gas exports and provide our allies with an alternative and reliable source of energy," said Turner. “Immediately, the United States would provide our allies with assurance, greater choice and more opportunities to negotiate prices.”
Congressman Turner originally introduced The American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act on March 4, 2014.
Congressman Turner also partnered with the House Energy and Commerce Committee to help author H.R.6, The Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act.
Co-Sponsors: Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), Rep. Steven Pearce (R-NM), Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH), Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), Rep. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), Rep. Charles Dent (R-PA), Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS), Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), Rep. John Kline (R-MN), Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), Rep. Scott Tipton (R-CO), Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC)
Background:
The United States is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world and is experiencing a surplus in production, helping to keep prices low compared to global rates. A Department of Energy-commissioned report found that increasing exports of natural gas would have positive economic benefits for our country.
Under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, companies seeking to export natural gas must gain approval from the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy, which determines if such exports are in the public interest. For countries with which the United States has a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) the approval is automatic. For non-FTA countries, there is a regulatory process to determine if such exports are in the public interest.
The American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act would treat WTO countries similar to FTA countries, making the public interest determination automatic for natural gas exports for such countries. The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently released a report documenting the geopolitical benefits of U.S. natural gas exports and included such a legislative recommendation.
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