Nearly two dozen GOP-led states gave the Biden administration a warning this week about its pause on liquefied natural gas export projects.
In a letter to President Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, 23 state attorneys general, led by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, urged the administration to put an end to the pause, arguing it is “unlawful, harmful to our economy, and detrimental to our national security.”
Last month, the administration announced the pause to give the Department of Energy additional time to update its evaluation process.
“The current economic and environmental analyses DOE uses to underpin its LNG export authorizations are roughly five years old and no longer adequately account for considerations like potential energy cost increases for American consumers and manufacturers beyond current authorizations or the latest assessment of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions,” the White House said at the time.
The AGs argued the decision was motivated by pressure from climate activists.
“Instead of addressing America’s real energy challenges, your administration has decided to double down on a reckless environmental agenda through this TikTok-inspired ‘pause,’” they wrote.
Indeed, President Biden acknowledged the administration was motivated by demands from younger voters.
“We will heed the calls of young people and frontline communities who are using their voices to demand action from those with the power to act,” Biden said. “And as America has always done, we will turn crisis into opportunity – creating clean energy jobs, improving quality of life, and building a more hopeful future for our children.”
In addition to Kansas, state attorneys general for Louisiana, Texas, Indiana, West Virginia, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming signed on to the letter.
"Although your administration has put this country in a difficult situation through this LNG 'pause,' you still have time to change course," they concluded. "Your administration does not have to recklessly continue down an unlawful path that harms our economic and national security interests."
The Biden administration's hatred of American energy has reached a new extreme. This moratorium on liquefied natural gas exports is both illegal and irrational. This natural gas policy is going to blow up in the administration's face. #ksleg https://t.co/L3NVF84tJa
— Kris W. Kobach (@KrisKobach1787) February 7, 2024
Objections to the Liquefied Natural Gas Export Pause by Leah Barkoukis on Scribd