The GOP’s Dirtiest Week Yet
Republicans to Push Reckless LNG Agenda Bought By Industry Cash
President Biden recently instituted a pause on approvals for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals until further environmental reviews can be conducted. To no one’s surprise, this decision has alarmed the fossil fuel industry and its allies in Congress, who are fighting back.
This week, the House GOP will host a hearing to attack Biden’s pause, while the fossil fuel industry’s favorite Senator, Joe Manchin, hosts his own hearing in the Senate. Next week, Republicans plan to host a "Dirty Energy Week" focused on attacking Biden's climate achievements and pushing legislation to resume LNG approvals. This includes bringing the "Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act" (H.R. 1130) to a vote, which would repeal Biden's pause on new LNG facilities.
Rather than prioritizing constituents, the GOP aims to spend the next two weeks doing favors for major oil and gas donors who have contributed tens of millions to their campaigns. It’s just more GOP pandering to fossil fuel interests at the expense of the climate and public health.
To counter the GOP’s misleading claims around LNG, we have prepared the facts around their biggest LNG lies. Read on to learn the truth and equip yourself to push back:
Industry Lie #1: LNG exports provide energy security
Reality: Far from enhancing security, exports introduce massive new volatility and surrender domestic control over supply and pricing to overseas markets. American companies are now competing with foreign nations for products produced in the U.S. Our inability to limit where our resources are sold - even to rivals like China - creates dangerous vulnerabilities rather than strengths.
Industry Lie #2: LNG exports lower domestic prices
Reality: Because oil and gas corporations are selling U.S. energy abroad, American families who are trying to heat and cool their homes are now forced to compete with other countries and navigate market volatility and global disruptions. This could drive up energy costs by as much as 42% in some parts of the country. As a result, domestic consumers will face $14.3 billion in higher annual energy costs, according to analysis from Public Citizen. In fact, record LNG exports are already directly contributing to punishingly high energy bills and are already trickling down to other necessary goods for American families, from food to fertilizer.
Industry Lie #3: LNG exports are necessary to support our allies
Reality: U.S. LNG commitments to Europe have already been exceeded. Current export capacity is sufficient to meet needs arising from the Ukraine crisis without new projects. European energy experts make it clear that new decades-long export contracts make no sense with falling European fossil fuel needs. The International Energy Agency forecasts European gas demand to fall 8% from 2022-2026 and existing LNG import facilities across Europe are already underutilized.
Industry Lie #4: LNG exports help lower emissions
Reality: Multiple studies expose this charade, showing LNG emissions and methane leaks rival coal plants when accounting for transport and imperfect overseas combustion. Exporting over half our natural gas capacity will shackle developing countries to fossil fuel dependency for decades rather than enabling a direct transition to renewable tech. True leadership means ending expansion and exporting clean technology instead of burdening the world with more climate-wrecking infrastructure just to earn a quick buck.
So there you have it.
As fossil fuel companies prepare to descend on Capitol Hill to defend their profits – and the GOP bends to their will, our leaders must see through the industry's LNG lies and confront oil and gas leaders with the real, human impacts of increasing volatile and emissions-intensive exports. True leadership requires cutting through fossil fuel spin in order to build real energy security for American families powered by clean, renewable sources.