Staff Reports
The Biden Administration’s latest attempt to analyze the impact of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports has backfired spectacularly, drawing harsh criticism from industry leaders and setting the stage for a fresh energy policy reboot under President-elect Donald Trump. The analysis, which coincided with a moratorium on LNG export permits aimed solely at free-trade countries, is nothing more than a desperate grasp at straws, according to energy advocates who are ready to watch the new administration wipe the slate clean.
Industry insiders have pointed out that Biden’s approach exemplifies the government’s four-year flirtation with misguided energy policies that have systematically choked American energy independence. The president of the American Energy Alliance laid bare the absurdity of Biden’s strategy, arguing that the so-called “pause” on LNG permits has merely spurred congressional hearings and a surge of legal challenges that could soon go up in smoke. The incoming Trump administration is poised to roll back the ban, leaving previous lawsuits in the dust as they strive to re-establish the nation’s dominance in the energy sector.
Repudiation of Biden LNG exports analysis sets stage for Trump course change on energy https://t.co/lqlGB4O52l
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) December 19, 2024
In a classic show of political mischief, the Department of Energy has claimed that unfettered LNG exports would hike domestic gas prices and have catastrophic environmental impacts. The report ominously prophesizes a dreadful $100+ annual cost increase for the average household by 2050—leaving many heads scratching over the accuracy of such forecasts. Most notably, critics of the report have rebuffed the analysis as political theatrics rather than genuine fiscal forecasting, arguing that a decade’s worth of LNG export data shows no significant price spikes despite continuous growth in exports.
Even within the government’s corridors, there’s contention. A recent analysis from S&P Global rigorously challenges the Biden-hyped findings, suggesting that the lifting of the export ban will hardly impact household gas bills, while concurrently projecting that the industry could balloon the GDP by $1.3 trillion and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs. While the Biden administration seeks to mislead the public, figures in the energy sector are ready to remind Americans that embracing LNG exports not only empowers domestic job growth but also strengthens ally relationships.
Amid this chaos, some lawmakers are raising eyebrows at the administration’s declaration that European demand for LNG is “flattening.” As energy prices in Europe soar, the continent’s green energy ambitions are faltering under the weight of reality, exposing a situation that could very well turn the demand curve back in favor of American LNG. The current conditions might just ignite renewed interest in reliable energy sources like natural gas, especially as countries grapple with the fallout from their impractical energy transition strategies.
As the 60-day comment period for this dubious study unfolds, it’s certain that the American people will watch with bated breath as Trump gears up to dismantle the existing policies designed to placate those who wish to keep fossil fuels buried. With high-powered environmental groups already launching their legal salvos, the battle for energy freedom has just begun—and it’s a showdown conservatives seem ready to win.
