OPINION:
On Day 1, President Trump reversed the Biden administration’s LNG pause, returning the Department of Energy to regular order. Over the past four years, the department has waged a war on liquefied natural gas exports, prioritizing extreme climate views over sound policy. The American people overwhelmingly elected Mr. Trump, emphasizing the need to adopt and not dismiss pro-energy policies, which create good-paying jobs and reinforce our nation’s energy security.
In January 2024, the Biden administration announced an indefinite pause on new LNG export permits. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers criticized the move as a “gift to Putin.” This decision limited the vital role of the U.S. in supplying LNG to Europe and Ukraine, a nation at war, ultimately discouraging our allies’ independence from Russian energy. As a result of the Biden administration’s LNG pause, capital-intensive projects, such as Calcasieu Pass 2, Delfin LNG, Lake Charles LNG and Commonwealth LNG, were halted despite commercial progress, leaving our allies overseas vulnerable and American jobs uncertain.
With Mr. Trump back in office, American natural gas companies can have confidence that their projects will receive proper consideration. This allows the U.S. to follow through on its commitments to its allies overseas, which were routinely qualified under the Biden administration.
Notably, the industry has still stepped up to help our allies. Venture Global’s third LNG cargo from its Plaquemines facility just arrived in Germany. Additionally, Ukraine received its first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States, a positive development for Kyiv as it moves to ramp up its purchases of U.S. supplies and protect against broader supply concerns as it continues its existential fight for sovereignty.
After the de facto pause, the Department of Energy stated that it would complete a study on the projects to examine whether more LNG exports were in the public’s best interest. After delays, congressional letters and a lengthy court battle in Louisiana, the department released its long-anticipated study.
However, former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s summary of the study politicized the issue. Ms. Granholm concluded the report by emphasizing that the business-as-usual approach is “neither sustainable nor advisable.” Although this was likely the summary regardless of the study’s merits, some aspects of Ms. Granholm’s assumptions are particularly concerning. She correctly wrote that U.S. LNG “has proven critical” for Europe as it weans off Russian gas. However, in the Department of Energy’s study scenarios and analysis, “Russian pipeline exports” to the EU “increase slightly through 2035.” In other words, the study accounts for Russian pipelines that are not currently online.
The Department of Energy, under Mr. Trump, extended the study to March 20 to ensure such public interest determinations receive appropriate stakeholder input.
If natural gas demand worldwide continues to increase, as forecast, coinciding infrastructure buildouts and natural gas exploration and production will likely parallel the construction of export terminals. By expanding and strengthening complementary energy infrastructure, the U.S. can ensure a steady natural gas supply domestically and internationally.
A comprehensive study by S&P Global projects that the export capacity of U.S. LNG will double over the next five years. It found that exports of U.S. LNG would support roughly a half-million domestic jobs annually over the next 15 years. On its current growth trajectory, exports would contribute about $1.3 trillion to the nation’s gross domestic product through 2040 while barely impacting gas prices at home.
Mr. Trump understands the importance of LNG exports and made the right decision to lift the LNG pause. A strong natural gas industry will boost local economies and create thousands of good-paying jobs, allowing the United States to follow through on its commitment to allies overseas. Building on the sound policies from Mr. Trump’s first term, domestic energy production will be prioritized, along with the local economies that depend on our domestic energy industry.
• Retired Maj. Gen. Spider Marks is a member of the Military Intelligence Corps Hall of Fame. He is an author who has contributed to and edited a book on leadership in international relations and published several articles in military publications.
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