On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) criticized President Joe Biden’s recent pause on new liquified natural gas (LNG) export projects, while touting Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry, during a speech on the House floor.
Kelly, a member of the House Energy Action Team (HEAT Team), spoke after signing a letter on Sunday asking the Biden administration to reverse a decision to pause approvals for pending and future applications to export LNG while the U.S. Department of Energy conducts a review that looks at the economic and environmental impact of projects hoping to export LNG to Europe and Asia.
“When President Biden was campaigning, he couldn’t stop telling the American people how he would end fossil fuels. This is yet another example of promises made, promises kept from this President,” Kelly said. “We’re talking about jobs. We’re talking about the cost of energy. We’re talking about a reliability not on a foreign supplier, but on our own domestic energy. The President’s decision is pushing our European allies, who rely on American LNG for their energy supply, right back into the hands of Vladimir Putin and the Russians to supply energy for them instead. I call on the Biden administration to reverse this dangerous decision.”
Kelly said the decision would have a negative impact on American energy, American jobs and American national security. The U.S. became the worlds’ largest LNG supplier in 2023 as a result of the war in Ukraine. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pennsylvania is the second highest natural gas producing state in the country, following Texas.