On the recordJuly 10, 2014
The gentleman brings up an interesting subject, as the gentlewoman from Ohio said, and it is something that I would hope he would continue to work on through the appropriate channels. There are problems that may exist with his proposal here, and this is not the right place to do it, on the appropriations bill. The amendment would prevent the Department of Energy from approving an application for liquefied natural gas export, unless the Department has consulted with the U.S. Maritime Administration on the availability of U.S.-flagged vessels to transport the liquefied natural gas. The Department does not have nor are applicants for LNG export currently required to provide information on which vessels will be used for transportation. In fact, shipping companies are separate and distinct from companies applying for export licenses, and assessing the shipping requirements for LNG is not within the DOE's current realm of technical expertise. The reality is that there are a few, if any, U.S.-flagged vessels capable of carrying LNG at this point. I know the gentleman would like to change that, and I agree with him on that, but we need to do it through the proper channels. We need to do it through legislation that, I understand, the gentleman is probably working on now through the authorizing committees. Point of Order
