House approves bill to block Biden’s pause on new gas export projects

The House on Thursday approved a bill that would ax the Biden administration’s pause on new natural gas export projects by removing its ability to reject export projects altogether.

The vote was 224-200. Nine Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the bill. Those Democrats are: Reps. Yadira Caraveo (Colo.), Jim Costa (Calif.), Henry Cuellar (Texas), Jared Golden (Maine), Vicente Gonzalez (Texas), Rick Larsen (Wash.), Mary Peltola (Alaska), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.) and Marc Veasey (Texas).

The legislation would remove the Energy Department’s authority to reject projects that would export natural gas, instead giving the power to approve or reject a project solely to the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Currently, projects need approval from both FERC and the Energy Department to begin construction. The legislation would also require FERC, when it makes such decisions, to have the underlying assumption that exporting natural gas is in the public’s interest. 

While the bill won majority support in the House, it is unlikely to advance through the Democrat-controlled Senate or the White House.

The vote comes after the Biden administration paused approvals for some new export projects so that it can decide whether to change its criteria for whether to permit them.

The pause does not impact existing exports or projects that are under construction, but could delay proposed projects that are currently under review. 

The delay ignited significant Republican pushback, with the GOP arguing that any moves to halt U.S.-produced gas would allow for more fuel produced by countries such as Russia. 

“President Biden’s politically-motivated ban on American LNG exports is a monumental mistake that benefits our adversaries and dirty global polluters like Iran and Russia,” GOP Reps. August Pfluger (Texas) and Kevin Hern (Okla.) said in a written statement after the vote.

“Unleashing U.S. LNG exports means more American jobs, a more secure world for America and our allies, and lower emissions,” they added, and also called on the Senate to “immediately” take up the bill. 

Though the issue has recently come into the spotlight, getting rid of the Energy Department’s authority to block projects has been on Republicans’ wish list for a while. They included it in their H.R. 1 energy package that passed the House last year.

The White House, in a written statement, said it “strongly opposes” the bill, but stopped short of an explicit veto threat.

It said that the bill would “undermine the ability of the United States to ensure that export of a critical and strategic resource is consistent with our economic, energy security, foreign policy, and environmental interests.”

“Doing so would also strip back important safeguards that prevent price pressure on industrial and residential consumers, as well as vital consumer, domestic manufacturing, and energy security protections,” it said. 

Updated at 3:11 pm.