Input Stories

The Energy Department has issued its final liquefied natural gas report and will soon begin issuing final orders for pending LNG export applications (POLITICO, subscription).

• The final report cites the NAM’s research, attesting to the influence of its campaign to lift the Biden export ban.

The background: When the Biden administration paused exports last year, it began work on a report about the impact of LNG exports on both the U.S. economy and the climate.

• This report, released in December, was “misguided,” the NAM said at the time, as the DOE claimed that more LNG export permits would have a negative effect on the U.S.
• The “report from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is clearly a politically motivated document designed for an audience who believes no form of carbon-based energy is acceptable,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said. “LNG exports play a crucial role in reducing emissions by providing cleaner energy alternatives to countries reliant on higher emission sources.” 
• The NAM urged policymakers, as well as Trump’s transition team, to reverse the harmful policy of restricting exports, and published research demonstrating that the ban threatened 900,000 jobs. President Trump lifted the ban in an executive order on his first day in office.

A policy change: The Energy Department’s final report is the fruit of the NAM’s long advocacy effort, and the agency will soon proceed with issuing final orders for pending export applications.

• “‘We are pleased to issue the Response to Comments on the 2024 LNG Export Study, which will allow DOE to close out this chapter and fully return to regular order on LNG exports,’ Tala Goudarzi, principal deputy assistant secretary of DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, said in a statement.”

NAM’s fingerprints: The DOE mentioned the NAM several times in its final report.

• “The National Association of Manufacturers, citing its own study, estimated that LNG exports could support 500,000 to 900,000 jobs by 2044, generating $59 [billion]–$104 billion in wage income,” it said, highlighting the research mentioned above.
• “[The] NAM further states that ‘there is readily available information on the positive impacts the U.S. LNG export industry has had on its local communities, including on the websites of each major U.S. LNG exporter currently in operation,’” the DOE report continued.

The last word: “Today’s final report on LNG exports is a total victory for the NAM’s year-long advocacy efforts, confirming the NAM’s findings about the dramatic benefit of LNG exports for job creation and economic development in the U.S.,” said NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen.

• “The Department of Energy’s announcement and final report will not only bolster our economy here at home, but also enable us to maintain our global energy dominance and support our allies.”