Washington (September 23, 2024) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chair of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, today partnered with Representative Lisa Badum, group coordinator in the German Bundestag’s Climate and Energy Committee and chairwoman of the Subcommittee on International Climate and Energy Policy, Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Senate and House colleagues, and leaders from around the world in sending a letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, urging the administration to reject new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports amidst the global climate crisis.
The United States is already the world’s largest exporter of LNG and is on track to exponentially increase export capacity – a full build-out that could yield hundreds of million metric tons of additional greenhouse gases at home and abroad. Pushing back on arguments that United States’ international allies need the country’s LNG, members of the U.S. Congress and Parliaments around the world are requesting that the administration reject these applications.
In their letter to the administration, the lawmakers wrote, “Far from being a clean ‘bridge’ fuel, LNG causes significant environmental harm. In addition to the greenhouse gas released when LNG is burned, the potent greenhouse gas effects of pervasive methane leaks throughout the LNG supply chain — which extends from initial exploration all the way through gas production, pipeline transportation, liquefaction, vessel transportation, regasification, distribution, and end-use consumption — likely eliminate any climate advantage of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”
The lawmakers continued, “In addition to the environmental and health benefits, limiting U.S. LNG exports will actually support global energy security, not jeopardize it. In both emerging and developed markets, overinvestment in LNG diverts resources away from cheaper, more stable, and less trade-dependent clean energy investments.”
In Europe:
“While Europe’s energy system was strained in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, it has since recovered. Europeans united to slash overall gas demand by 20 percent over the past two years. Gas prices are lower than before the start of the war, despite drastically lower supply from Russia.”
In Asia:
“China, the world’s largest LNG importer, has emerged as a major re-exporter within the region and globally, cashing in on lucrative price differentials that are facilitated by long-term agreements with the United States. Similarly, Japan, facing declining domestic demand and oversupply, is redirecting LNG trade volumes to emerging markets in South and Southeast Asia, bolstering profitable re-trading ventures.” Additionally, “South Korea, despite existing low terminal utilization and climate commitments, has invested significantly in expanding LNG infrastructure, highlighting a mismatch between capacity expansions and actual demand.”
In Africa:
“The expansion of LNG export infrastructure has sparked displacement, conflict, and environmental degradation, with many projects facing the risk of becoming stranded assets amid declining global demand. The African LNG export market parallels the United States in prioritizing foreign market interests over local needs amidst declining demand. U.S. participation in the LNG export market fuels this exploitative industry, undermining claims of leadership in a just global energy transition.”
In the Americas:
“Investments in new re-exporting infrastructure in Mexico will soon become stranded assets with poor financial viability, threatening the economic stability of the country for the benefit of short-term U.S. interests. Moreover, the export of U.S. LNG through Mexico also transfers environmental and climate justice burdens associated with LNG infrastructure, expanding the footprint of the industry’s harm to the country’s unique biodiversity and frontline communities in Mexico.”
Cosigners in the U.S. include Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC). Cosigners internationally include 30 Members of the Thailand Parliament, 15 Members of the European Parliament, 10 Members of the German Parliament, 3 Members of the United Kingdom Parliament, 2 Members of the Flemish Parliament, 2 Members of the National Assembly of the Gambia, 2 Members of the South Sudan Parliament, 2 Members of the Tanzanian Parliament the Australian Senator for Victoria, Brazilian State Deputy for Para, Canadian Senator for Quebec, the Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium, 1 former Member of the Sierra Leone Parliament, 1 former Member of the Catalan Parliament, 1 former Member of the Flemish Parliament, 1 Member of the Timor-Leste Parliament, Member of Parliament and Special Envoy on Climate Change and Environment from the Republic of Vanuatu, 1 Member of the Sierra Leone Parliament, 1 Member of Tasmania’s Legislative Council, 1 Member of the Australian Parliament, 1 Member of the Austrian Parliament, 1 Member of the Cambodian Parliament, 1 Member of the Cameroon National Assembly, 1 Member of the Colombian Congress, 1 Member of the Gambian Parliament, 1 Member of the Ghanaian Parliament, 1 Member of the Liberian House of Representatives, 1 Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1 Member of the Scottish Parliament, 1 Member of the Swedish Parliament, 1 Member of the Swiss Parliament (National Council), 1 Member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1 Member of the Ugandan Parliament, 1 Member of the UK House of Lords, and 1 Member of the Victorian Parliament in Australia on behalf of the Victorian Greens Members of Parliament.
In July 2023, Senator Markey and several New England Senators sent a letter to the Department of Energy urging it to consider the disproportionate negative impacts of LNG on New England as the department considers updates to its underlying environmental and economic analyses to improve export authorization decisions for LNG.
In May 2024, Senator Markey and Representative Yvette Clarke (NY-09) announced the reintroduction of the Block All New (BAN) Fossil Fuel Exports Act, legislation that would amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act and ban the export of American crude oil and natural gas abroad to protect frontline communities from dangerous export infrastructure, prioritize U.S. consumers against fossil fuel profiteering, and help ensure the United States meets its climate and clean energy commitments on the world stage.
In March 2023, Senator Markey and Representatives Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12) reintroduced the Fossil Free Finance Act, legislation that would direct the Federal Reserve to require major banks and other Systemically Important Financial Institutions (SIFIs) to stop financing projects and activities linked to increased greenhouse gas emissions and submit a plan on how they would meet these requirements. In October 2022, Senator Markey reintroduced the OPEC Accountability Act, legislation to require the U.S. President to initiate consultations with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and some non-OPEC countries to reduce crude oil production.
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