On the recordFebruary 27, 2024
Mr. President, President Biden's war on American energy continues. Last month in a move apparently made, in part, to satisfy climate activists on TikTok and win a few votes in the upcoming election, the administration announced a pause on liquefied natural gas export approvals, threatening both domestic energy projects and the energy security of our allies. It is difficult to count all the ways in which the President's export approval pause is a terrible decision. But let's start with the national security concerns that it presents. At a time when Russia and Iran are flexing their power--with Russia now entering the third year of its unjustified war of aggression with Ukraine and with Iranian-backed militia threatening shipping and security in the Middle East--the President's action threatens to enrich these two countries by increasing demand for their natural gas, and Russia and Iran are ready to oblige. Russia is currently constructing a new liquefied natural gas export facility, and Iran is working on one as well. It is ironic that, as the President talks about the importance of opposing Putin, he is taking a step that could actually strengthen Putin's hand by increasing global dependence on Russian energy. Europe, of course, struggled to wean itself off of Russian energy when Russia invaded Ukraine, and American exports played a significant role in replacing Russian imports.…





