US Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) has introduced a pair of bills designed to facilitate US exports of LNG. H.R. 4605 would let exporters begin shipments after completing the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s review process instead of requiring them to wait for US Department of Energy approval, Johnson said. H.R. 4606 would codify DOE’s efforts to begin exports of small volumes of LNG to Caribbean and Central and South American countries.
“The US is currently the world’s largest producer of natural gas, with trillions of cubic feet of recoverable gas beneath our feet,” Johnson said. “We should be doing all we can to take advantage of this abundant resource, and it is my hope that these bills will help further that goal.”
Fred H. Hutchison, executive director of LNG Allies & Our Energy Moment, welcomed the measures. “While the US has a strong and transparent regulatory process for the approval of LNG export terminals, there is no question that this process is expensive and time-consuming,” Hutchison said.
H.R. 4605 is particularly important since Congress lifted the ban on US crude oil exports on Dec. 18, 2015, and LNG Allies considers limits on LNG exports similarly anachronistic, Hutchison said. “After all, the US government imposes no export restrictions on coal, oil, petroleum coke, wood pellets, refined petroleum products, natural gas liquids, solar panels, or wind turbines,” he said.
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