Rep. Kelly votes to depoliticize liquid natural gas exports

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) announced Thursday he had voted in favor of bipartisan legislation depoliticizing the export of American liquified natural gas by eliminating U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regulation over it.

The Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024 would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission sole authority over the approval process needed to export LNG. The vote, which passed 224-200, comes on the heels of a de facto ban through the end of the year on LNG exports ordered by President Joe Biden, Kelly said.

“President Biden’s short-sighted energy policy fits his political needs rather than what is in America’s best interest,” Kelly, a member of the House Natural Gas Caucus, said. “The President previously campaigned on ending fossil fuels. As the saying goes: promises made, promises kept. Except this time, his policy decision is effective immediately and it dramatically threatens Pennsylvania’s flourishing natural gas industry. Today’s vote by the House takes the first major step toward repealing this dangerous policy.”

The legislation, H.B. 7176, would repeal restrictions on the export and import of natural gas. On Jan. 26, Biden announced a “pause” on pending LNG exports, a move which threatens Pennsylvania, Kelly said. The state is the second largest gas producing state in the country and accounts for more that 20 percent of all domestic natural gas production. Nearly half a million Pennsylvania jobs (423,000) are connected to the natural gas industry, his office said.