Tennessee Governor Bill Lee joined a coalition of 24 other governors in issuing a joint statement demanding that the Biden administration lift its pause on new liquified natural gas (LNG) export approvals.
In January, the Biden administration temporarily paused pending decisions on LNG exports to “non-FTA countries until the Department of Energy can update the underlying analyses for authorizations” in the name of “climate change.”
“President Biden has been clear that climate change is the existential threat of our time – and we must act with the urgency it demands to protect the future for generations to come,” a fact sheet from the White House regarding the pause on LNG export said.
Despite this, the coalition of governors is calling on President Joe Biden to “reverse course and lift the pause.”
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NEWS: Half of the Nation’s Governors Call on Biden to Lift Unnecessary, Dangerous Pause on LNG Export Approvals
Read more here ⬇️https://t.co/20fLL6Smfi
— The RGA (@GOPGovs) April 23, 2024
“As governors, we are very concerned by the Biden Administration’s move to pause approvals of new liquified natural gas (LNG) export projects, especially after Iran’s attack on Israel last week. The U.S. is the world’s leading exporter of LNG, and the decision to pause new approvals undermines our economic and national security, and the security of our allies,” the coalition said.
“It creates instability and threatens future energy security throughout the world at a time when our allies need us the most. It sends a message that the U.S. is not a reliable energy partner,” the governors added. “We call on the Biden Administration to reverse course and lift the pause, allowing America to retain its global energy advantage ensuring Americans and our allies abroad have access to a steady supply of affordable energy.”
In addition to the governor, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti was also part of a coalition of state attorneys general who pushed back on the export pause in February, as previously reported by The Tennessee Star.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Gov. Bill Lee.