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Biden administration report could slow Trump’s efforts to free up U.S. natural gas production


A report from the Biden administration on the environmental impacts of the increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports could add delays to President-elect Trump’s efforts to immediately authorize new licenses for the fuel, experts say.

Brad Crabtree, the Department of Energy (DOE) assistant secretary for the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, told lawmakers last week that the report, intended to measure the economic and environmental implications of the increase in American exports of fuel, would be launched in mid-December. Under the Natural Gas Act, the DOE must evaluate whether exports are in the public interest before issuing new permits.

Although some experts dismissed the magnitude of the report, citing the fact that Trump can only roll back any restrictions Biden puts natural gasothers suggested it could provide fodder for environmentalists who want to go after the Trump administration.

“Corporate sponsors don’t put billions of dollars to work on fragile permits, period, period,” said Kevin Book, CEO of ClearView Energy Partners, an independent research and analysis firm that covers the natural gas sector. “The industry is right to expect support (from the Trump administration), but the documentation must be sealed.”

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Department of Energy

The headquarters of the US Department of Energy in Washington, DC (Getty)

Book noted that if the report is released and lays out the reasons why new natural gas permits are not in the public interest, it would require the incoming Trump administration to do a different study, or a different interpretation of the study , in order to get to a place where he can clearly say “yes” to new natural gas permits. Book said that depending on what is shared in the new Biden administration study, that process could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months, if not several quarters.

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“I’m a big supporter of LNG exports. Unfortunately, the report could slow the movement of new LNG export licenses, both because the Trump team will have to respond to the comments and because the report could provide fodder, even if unfounded, by those who claim that LNG exports have harmful consequences,” said Jeff Kupfer, president of the nonprofit ConservAmerica and former acting assistant secretary and chief operating officer of the DOE under the second administration of George W. Bush.

LNG tank car in Germany

A tank car before loading at the port of Elbehafen in Brunsbuettel, Germany on April 25, 2016. (Bodo Marks/Photo Alliance via Getty Images)

While other energy industry experts agreed the move could pose potential legal hurdles for the Trump administration and thus delay new natural gas licenses, they suggested there was little to worry about. .

“It’s a last-ditch effort,” said Trisha Curtis, CEO of PetroNerds and an economist at the American Energy Institute. “Could there be legal setbacks? Yes. Just like there were legal setbacks under the Biden administration, and then they fight these legal battles. But if you’re trying to rush and issue a study before the end of the year, and After you have a two-month comment period, I’m not sure anything will really stick, especially if your comment period is during the Trump administration.”

The Biden administration announced a “temporary pause” in issuing new natural gas exports permits in January, which included a DOE review of the current environmental impact analysis the department uses to meet the requirements of the Natural Gas Act. Under that measure, which was passed nearly 75 years ago, the DOE must evaluate whether natural gas exports are in the public interest before issuing new permits.

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President Biden has repeatedly targeted the fossil fuel industry as part of his broad climate agenda.

President Biden has repeatedly targeted the fossil fuel industry as part of his broad climate agenda. (Getty Images)

The requirement excludes countries with free trade agreements, but according to Book, 80% of the LNG market is from countries that do not have free trade agreements with the US.

Trump has indicated that wants to eliminate the natural gas break immediately in order to boost domestic energy production. This is one of several actions he plans to take to eliminate the Biden administration’s climate regulations. On his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, he wrote: “Any person or company investing ONE BILLION DOLLARS OR MORE in the United States of America will receive fully expedited approvals and permits, including but not limited to all approvals. GET READY TO ROCK!!!”

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“Families have suffered in the past four years of the war on American energy, which led to the worst inflation crisis in a generation,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a told Fox News Digital. “Voters re-elected President Trump by a landslide, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail, including lowering energy costs for consumers. When he takes office, President Trump will again America’s energy dominance will protect our energy jobs and lower the cost of living for working families.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOE for comment, but did not hear back by press time.



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