(WO) — Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian testified earlier than the Home Choose Committee on Defending Texas liquified pure gasoline (LNG) Exports on Could 2.
Commissioner Christian testifying earlier than the Home Choose Committee on Defending Texas LNG Exports at Lamar State School in Port Arthur, TX. (Supply: Railroad Fee)
The Biden Administration’s announcement earlier this 12 months to pause approval for pending and future functions to export LNG drew sharp criticism from Commissioner Christian. Texas, liable for about half of the nation’s LNG exports, reached a record-high of 8.1 billion cubic toes per day in October 2023, with substantial exports to Europe.
Commissioner Christian denounced President Biden’s actions as election 12 months politics, asserting that the pause on LNG exports would neither cut back emissions nor profit allies, as a substitute making vitality costlier and fewer accessible.
“All through his time in workplace, President Biden has unnecessarily put america and our allies at a extreme geopolitical drawback only for the sake of advantage signaling that he’s progressive on local weather change,” stated Commissioner Christian. “His pause on LNG exports is nothing greater than election 12 months politics at its worst as a result of it should do nothing to scale back emissions, whereas making vitality costlier and fewer accessible for our allies of their time of want.”
Highlighting the administration’s broader strategy in direction of the oil and gasoline business, Christian accused Biden of varied assaults, from regulatory threats to flooding the market with funds for renewable vitality. He emphasised the significance of Texas LNG exports, portraying them as very important for international vitality safety.
“Since taking workplace, the Biden administration has used each assault potential to destroy Texas oil and gasoline from EPA nonattainment threats to Endangered Species Act designations, including pink tape and creating new taxes, and flooding the market with billions of taxpayer {dollars} for extra wind and photo voltaic,” Christian stated. “Texas LNG is the hope for the free world. At as we speak’s listening to, Texas leaders despatched a transparent message that we’ll proceed to struggle this ‘keep-it-in-the-ground’ agenda, as a result of offering life-saving dependable vitality to the world is our duty.”
In January, Commissioner Christian urged President Biden to not proceed with the LNG export pause, and in February, he counseled Home Republicans for passing H.R. 7176, which goals to problem Biden’s actions on LNG.
