Gardner: House to Vote on LNG Bill

Rep. Cory Gardner said the House of Representatives will vote this week on his bill, H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, which will help expedite approval of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to allies.

Gardner also announced an amendment to the legislation that he co-authored with Rep. Gene Green, which will address recent changes to DOE’s approval process and limit the agency’s decision period to 30 days after the conclusion of federal environmental review. To view text of the amendment, click HERE.

Gardner said, “I am excited the House will take action next week on my bill to speed up the export of U.S. natural gas. By allowing more U.S. gas on the world market, we can provide our allies with access to a safe and secure energy source while boosting American energy production and job creation. We plan to amend the legislation on the House floor to address DOE’s recent changes and provide companies and investors with the certainty they need to plan and build export facilities. I am pleased Congressman Green will be joining me in this effort, as a strong bipartisan vote on the House floor will send the signal that this is a serious effort to increase global energy security.”

On June 4, 2014, DOE published a notice in the Federal Register proposing changes to the procedures for approving liquefied natural gas (LNG) export decisions. Under the proposed procedures, DOE would no longer proceed in the published Order of Precedence, but would act on applications in the order they are ready for final action. An application would be considered ready for final action when the environmental review required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is complete. DOE did not propose a timeline for issuing a final decision once it begins review of a proposal.

H.R. 6, the Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act, will:

• Place a 30 day deadline on DOE to issue a final decision on applications to export LNG following the conclusion of the NEPA environmental review of the LNG facilities;
• Provide for expedited judicial review by the United States Court of Appeals for the circuit in which the export facility will be located; and
• Require public disclosure of export destinations as a condition of approval of authorization to export LNG.

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Press Release, June 23, 2014