Unlocking Our Domestic Lng Potential Act of 2024

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. If we had truth in labeling, this bill would be called the methane pollution and higher energy prices act.

I am simply amazed that this MAGA Republican majority in this Congress, which really makes the 1948 do-nothing Congress look like a paragon of productivity. This Congress can't find time to bring critical national security funding bills to the floor for a vote. They won't even bring a bipartisan border solution bill to the floor for a vote. But there is always time for another sop to the fossil fuel industry.

So here we are with a bill that is transparently dishonest. It is an effort to fast-track dirty energy projects, throw environmental justice communities under the bus, completely ignore the climate crisis, and expedite permitting for LNG facilities so that Big Oil can ramp up unnecessary exports of this harmful fossil gas.

Let's do some fact-checking. The United States is already the world's largest LNG exporter. We are on track to double that with existing projects that have already been permitted. So we do not need more of these methane bombs.

Second, experts have crunched the numbers, and new LNG export facilities are going to increase the cost of energy prices here at home. That is a fact.

Third, our allies are not asking for this. They are on record asking for clean energy, not more LNG. So let's stop putting words in their mouths. They don't want to go from being dependent on Vladimir Putin to being dependent on the United States fossil fuel industry. They want clean energy.

LNG is a climate bomb. This is well documented. I sent a letter several weeks ago to the Biden administration asking them to develop meaningful tests to ensure that they are truly protecting the public interest here, not the interests of greedy corporations when they approve these projects.

I am thankful that they have just announced that they will do exactly that with new LNG permitting decisions.

This pause is the first step in overhauling how we permit these projects, but it is an important one, and we shouldn't be wasting time sacrificing communities at the altar of Big Oil in this attempt by Republicans to reverse a sensible, smart decision that puts people over politics.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source