Federal Judge Orders Biden Admin to Restart LNG Export Process

Liquefied natural gas company Cheniere operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Port Arthur, Texas, pictured on Nov. 15, 2016. James Nielsen / Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

A federal judge on Monday ordered the resumption of permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities by the Biden administration. This follows the government’s pause of the process to analyze how the exports affect climate change, national security and the economy.

A federal judge in Louisiana ruled the administration could not delay consideration of projects involving LNG exports while a 16-state legal challenge is decided in federal court, The Guardian reported.

Trump appointee James Cain Jr., a United States district court judge, granted the coalition of states a preliminary injunction, putting the delays on hold.

“We remain committed to informing our decisions with the best available economic and environmental analysis, underpinned by sound science,” Angelo Fernández Hernández, a White House spokesperson, told The Associated Press in an email.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) expressed disagreement with the ruling and was in the process of evaluating next steps, meaning it was unlikely any of the LNG projects would be fast-tracked for consideration, reported The Guardian.

In January, the Biden administration delayed consideration of new U.S. LNG export terminals. Environmentalists welcomed the decision, as an increase in exports of fossil fuels contributes to the planet-warming emissions that cause climate change.

Louisiana, Texas, Alaska, Wyoming and West Virginia were among the states that sued to block the suspension of LNG exports, claiming the administration’s decision violated federal laws, including the U.S. Constitution, by banning exports to countries with which the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement.

“Pause or no pause, the science is clear: no sound analysis that accounts for the climate and environmental harm inflicted by LNG exports could possibly determine that these deadly facilities are in the public interest,” said Craig Segall, vice-president of environmental group Evergreen Action, as The Guardian reported.

Current LNG export authorizations to countries without a free trade agreement are currently at more than 45 percent of the domestic natural gas production in the U.S., according to the DOE. The agency added that, based on current LNG export capacity, the U.S. will remain the largest LNG exporter by a wide margin for a minimum of six more years.

“In every corner of the country and the world, people are suffering the devastating toll of climate change,” President Joe Biden said in January, as reported by The New York Times. “This pause on new L.N.G. approvals sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time.”

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