WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The White House’s freeze on new liquid natural gas exports took the hot seat in a House committee Thursday.
Republicans accused President Joe Biden of putting climate change over common sense.
“This is an election year,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, (R-Fla.), during the hearing. “This is a political play to the Democratic base.”
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, (R-La.) told Brad Crabtree with the U.S. Energy Department that the pause is hurting the gas business in his home state.
“You realize you’re being set up as a sacrifice on the Green New Deal altar?” asked Higgins.
“I disagree, sir,” responded Crabtree.
LNG exports had been skyrocketing as the U.S. urged European allies of Ukraine to stop buying Russian natural gas and buy American.
“They’re trying to get on to North American gas and off of Russian gas, and this pause has sent all the wrong signals,” Waltz said.
Republicans want to reverse the freeze. House Speaker Mike Johnson, (R-La.), tried but failed to include it in the new funding bill for Ukraine.
“You don’t want to fuel Vladimir Putin’s war machine, do you?” Johnson said, recalling the question he said he recently asked President Biden during an Oval Office meeting.
However, Crabtree told lawmakers the pause was necessary to determine the impacts of exporting so much U.S. natural gas.
“We are very concerned that any future decisions we make do not lead to higher domestic prices,” he said.
Crabtree said the U.S. remains the world’s top gas exporter, already on track to double its LNG exports by 2030 because of projects in the pipeline.
Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-Calif.) defended the pause, saying without it, Americans would be paying higher electricity bills.
“This president has one concern: lowering prices for the American people,” Khanna said.
The House passed a stand-alone bill earlier this year to undo the pause with several Democrats breaking with their party to support it. The Senate has not brought it up for consideration.
