Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (January 28, 2015) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 351, the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act with a bipartisan vote of 277-133. This bill would expedite the approval process for liquefied natural gas export terminals to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic delays that have held up construction.

Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Cynthia Lummis (WY-At Large), Executive Vice Chairman Scott Tipton (CO-03), Western Caucus Member Kevin Cramer (ND-At Large), and Chairman Emeritus Steve Pearce (NM-02) released the following statements in response to the passage of the bill:

“With our abundant natural gas supply, America is poised to be a major player in the international gas market, creating jobs at home and furthering our security interests abroad,” said Chairman Lummis.  “But instead of working with Congress to capitalize on this landmark economic and national security opportunity, the White House continues dragging its feet every step of the way.  There is a price to this inaction, borne by American workers and our allies who are clamoring for energy from the United States instead of nations like Russia.  We can overcome the White House’s pointless stonewalling with this bill, which will ensure that the Department of Energy makes decisions on export permits and port construction applications in a timely manner.”

 “We have a unique opportunity right here at home to increase responsible production of liquefied natural gas to meet the demands of our foreign allies while significantly boosting local economies throughout the Western U.S.,” said Vice Chairman Tipton. “The demand for American produced LNG is there, and the only thing standing in the way of increased exports is an unwieldy bureaucracy in Washington caught up in pushing red tape instead of commonsense. Today, we took action in the House to clear that hurdle.”

“As the largest producer of natural gas in the world, we ought to use the peaceful tool of energy production and export in lieu of the weapons of war,” said Congressman Cramer. “Vladimir Putin’s aggression in the Ukraine should be met with an equal zeal for natural gas export to Europe. Our allies need to know they can count on us as the supplier of choice of natural gas, so they are not captive to Russia’s supply.”

“New technologies have allowed America to become the leading natural gas producer in the world,” said Chairman Emeritus Pearce. “Exporting natural gas will allow us to take full economic advantage of this situation that we have been blessed with. This bill will create jobs, encourage further production, decrease our trade deficit, and help our allies overseas by expediting the decision making process for LNG export facilities. We must not waste this opportunity to optimize our economic standing. I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to act quickly on this essential piece of legislation.”