In response to comments from U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden suggesting the United States needs a policy on energy exports and that a “timeout” should be declared on permits to export LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement countries, Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG) President Bill Cooper issued the following statement:
“The US already has a well-defined natural gas export policy in place,” Cooper said. “Under that policy, the Department of Energy (DOE) regulates exports of natural gas, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regulates the design, construction, and operation of the proposed facility and its impact on the environment. The Senator’s concerns are well taken, and thoroughly addressed by the existing regulatory framework: DOE considers US energy security, adequacy of domestic supply, consumers, impact on the U.S. economy, as well as any other issue relevant to its determination. FERC examines the safety of the facility and its potential environmental impacts.
“As for the Senator’s suggested ‘timeout’, the DOE has already declared one. Until the DOE’s macro-economic study is completed, consideration of all applications are on hold. The ‘timeout’ started when DOE requested a cost impact study from EIA last August and will continue until the macro-economic study is publicly released.”
CLNG is a trade association of LNG producers, shippers, terminal operators and developers and energy trade associations. Its goal is to enhance public education and understanding about LNG by serving as a clearinghouse for LNG information. For more information, visit www.lngfacts.org.
