SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a letter to President Joseph R. Biden and Commerce Secretary Jennifer Granholm over the administration’s recent “pause” of liquefied natural gas exports. The letter, which was led by the States of Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, and West Virginia, explains how this executive action further compromises American energy security and independence.
Last month, the Biden-Harris administration announced a “temporary pause on pending approvals of liquified natural gas exports.” The administration claimed the decision was made, in part, to “adequately account for…the latest assessment of the impact of greenhouse gas emissions.” The White House also blamed “Republicans in Congress” for denying “the very existence of climate change” in an attempt to justify its action.
In their letter, the coalition of attorneys general argues that this pause is “unlawful,” that it “further damages our economy,” and that this federal government action “harms our national security.”
As the States write, “The Department of Energy has identified no authority to issue blanket denials of export permits. As you should know, the Department ‘literally has no power to act—including under its regulations—unless and until Congress authorizes it to do so by statute.’ Yet neither the White House nor the Department cited any statutory authority when announcing the pause. Instead, the White House merely referred to President Biden’s executive order commanding federal agencies to reorder federal operations around single-minded and fears about climate change.”
The attorneys general also added that this pause “emboldens and empowers Iran and Russia, while further hampering our ability to protect ourselves.”
Joining Utah, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, and West Virginia, were the States of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming.
