More than two dozen Republican lawmakers urged President Biden on Wednesday to ramp up U.S. exports of a key source of energy for Europe – liquefied natural gas (LNG) – to help curb the continent’s reliance on Russian energy imports.
The senators called an earlier attempt by Democrats this month to restrict the amount of exported LNG as “misguided” and undermines efforts to assist European allies who want to decrease their use of Russian natural gas.
“We encourage your department to issue non-free trade agreement export licenses promptly to ensure the global market continues to view U.S. LNG as a dependable source of energy and a reliable alternative to strategic competitors like Russia,” the 27 Republican senators wrote in a letter to the Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Energy responded to a request for comment.
Europe is heavily dependent upon Russia, one of the largest global exporters of oil and natural gas, for its energy needs. Russia supplies the European Union with more than a third of its natural gas, a reliance that could be diminished with greater LNG exports from the U.S., Mr. Biden’s critics say.
The U.S. is the only country that outpaces Russia in natural gas production. And yet, Democrats requested earlier this month that Mr. Biden reduce overseas LNG exports because of rising energy costs here at home.
In addition to supplying Europe with a high-demand source of energy at a critical time, the GOP lawmakers said that increased LNG production and export would mean a cleaner fuel source for developing nations, more U.S. jobs, fewer emissions and greater energy security that would make America “essential to the energy security of others.”
• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.
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