Pennsylvania Democrats recently joined several of their U.S. House of Representatives colleagues in requesting that President Joe Biden force the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to expedite its review of projects that will supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukrainian and Eastern European allies.
U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Susan Wild (D-PA-07), and the other nine Democrats made their request as the DOE recommences the processing of applications for authorization to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have existing free trade agreements (non-FTA nations).
“DOE performs a critical function when it reviews applications for new LNG exports to non-FTA nations for consistency with the public interest. We must ensure that new exports do not impact energy prices for American consumers and businesses,” the members wrote in a Sept. 16 letter sent to Biden. “However, the public interest also requires consideration of the extent to which LNG exports promote geopolitical stability and serve our national security interests.”
They pointed out that Russia’s “increasingly aggressive actions towards Ukrainian infrastructure,” including electricity and gas storage facilities, highlight the urgent need to assist Ukraine in recovering and rebuilding and for Ukraine to diversify and secure its energy supply.
The Biden administration’s recent announcement of over $800 million toward emergency energy needs in Ukraine will be vital to helping the country recover and rebuild, according to the letter, which also was signed by U.S. Reps. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Don Davis (D-NC), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX), Mary Peltola (D-AK), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), and Marc Veasey (D-TX).
The lawmakers added that allowing Ukraine to replace its natural gas supply when its contract with Gazprom expires at the end of this year is equally important.
“We believe that reducing Ukraine’s dependence on Russian energy will strengthen Ukraine’s energy security and align with the broader strategic goals of diminishing Russia’s influence in the region and reducing the leverage that hostile actors like Russia have over our allies,” they wrote. “Any delays to providing additional supplies of LNG to Ukraine and our Eastern European allies could jeopardize European energy security and market stability in the long-term.”
The U.S. should not send mixed signals to its allies who want to eliminate their reliance on Vladimir Putin for good, wrote the members.
“We believe that the United States must demonstrate its commitment to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and resilience amidst ongoing threats by prioritizing and expediting review of projects that will supply LNG to Ukraine and Eastern Europe,” they wrote.