American national security has increasingly been tested by those who wish to do our nation harm. From the Chinese spy balloon that flew across the country last year, to Russia’s war in Ukraine, to Iran funding terrorist organizations that attack Israel, our nation has been under near-constant threats from foreign adversaries that wish to threaten our way of life.
America’s status as the world’s leading democracy, military superpower and a leading energy exporter has been key to protecting our homeland and to defending our allies abroad. America’s leadership as an energy exporter has been crucial to ensuring our NATO allies’ security in an increasingly uncertain and dangerous geopolitical environment.
The Biden administration is squarely to blame for many of the challenges the U.S. and the world face today. Since Day One of his administration, President Biden has undermined our energy independence, instead prioritizing his green new deal agenda.
On his first day in office, Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline, eliminating American energy jobs and preventing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil from reaching the American public each day.
The Biden administration also cancelled leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as well as in the Gulf of Mexico in order to fulfill a campaign promise to “end all fossil fuels.” Meanwhile, Biden used our own Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an emergency tool to use in national security events, as a gimmick to lower gas prices that had skyrocketed because of their own misguided environmental policies.
Despite surging energy prices since 2021 and global instability, the Biden administration doubled down on its war against American energy in January by halting liquified natural gas exports and permitting.
In 2023, the United States became the global leader in LNG exports, with more than 87 percent of U.S. LNG exports going to the European Union, United Kingdom, or Asian markets, helping to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin and bringing down energy costs worldwide. Contrary to popular belief, American LNG has also driven down emissions, with 40 percent lower lifecycle emissions than its Russian counterparts. American LNG is among the cleanest in the world.
The Biden administration’s short-sighted decision fails to realize the global implications that this policy will have on our own national security for years to come. U.S. LNG production also enhances the energy security of our European allies, reducing their reliance on foreign dictators. The longer this pause continues, we risk allowing foreign adversaries like Russia to rebound and force our partners in Europe to replace American-sourced supplies with exports from our adversaries.
Short-sighted decisions like that are the reason House Republicans took action, passing the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act, which reverses Biden’s LNG export ban and repeals all restrictions on the import and export of natural gas.
This will also ensure that future administrations do not have exclusive authority to approve or deny any application for authorization for the construction, expansion or operation of a facility to export natural gas from the U.S.
Last year, I also introduced a measure preventing any administration from enacting restrictions on the exportation of crude oil or any petroleum products. For the U.S. to remain a global energy superpower, we must continue our energy dominance and prevent any president from undercutting American-made energy.
I was glad to see this resolution pass as part of our comprehensive energy bill, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which will stop the Biden administration’s war on American energy and put our nation back on a path toward a secure energy future. In 2019 the U.S. became a net exporter of oil for the first time in decades. We must ensure that we keep this energy dominance and further set this standard for the rest of the world.
House Republicans recognize the importance of American energy independence to our energy security and reducing the power of dictators like Putin. I am proud of our work to secure our nation’s energy future and the work I have led on the Energy and Commerce Committee to make sure America remains the world’s energy superpower and becomes energy-independent once again.
Brett Guthrie represents the 2nd District of Kentucky and is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.