U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement on the Department of Energy’s proposal for considering liquefied natural gas (LNG) export applications:
“ I have long warned that the United States faces a narrowing window of opportunity to enter the global gas trade. Projects have languished in the so-called ‘queue’ awaiting approvals from two separate agencies in a parallel process that often did not function well. This proposal for reform is a positive step toward fixing a needlessly confusing regulatory review that had become disengaged from economic reality .
“ I continue to oppose delays to the build-out of our export capacity, which I firmly believe to be in the national interest, and do not believe additional study is necessary. Multiple studies have confirmed time and again that the nation as a whole would benefit in both security and economic terms as a result of selling American gas to our friends and allies overseas .”