X (formerly Twitter) By @amuse
Imagine an America no longer shackled by runaway deficits or beholden to foreign energy markets. An America where the gas flowing from our shores not only fuels European freedom but also funds domestic prosperity. President-elect Trump has before him an unprecedented opportunity: to harness the untapped potential of America’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry and transform it into a $2 trillion engine of growth, balancing budgets and revitalizing our economy. This column explores why Trump must unleash LNG production and how it stands as a rebuke to the stifling policies of his predecessors, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Obama and Biden’s Legacy of Energy Restriction
The Obama administration’s approach to LNG was tepid at best and obstructionist at worst. Despite America’s burgeoning natural gas reserves, permits for LNG terminals were doled out like rationed bread. The first major LNG export terminal, Sabine Pass, didn’t get approval until 2011—years into Obama’s presidency. By 2016, only a handful of terminals had been approved, hampered by bureaucratic red tape and environmentalist opposition.
Enter “Sleepy Joe” Biden, whose administration took Obama’s sluggishness and ground it to a halt. In January 2024, Biden’s Department of Energy announced a moratorium on new LNG export approvals to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries, citing outdated environmental reviews. While this pause was later blocked by a federal court, the administration’s next move revealed its true intentions.
Encouraged by Biden and the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), various Soros-backed environmental groups filed suit to block LNG permits. Court records show the Biden administration’s legal defense against these challenges was lackluster at best. By all appearances, they ceded the cases to these environmental NGOs, effectively putting critical LNG projects like the CP2 and Commonwealth export terminals on hold. CP2 was first approved and then inexplicably denied by the administration, while Commonwealth’s permit was struck down by a court, further signaling a coordinated effort to stymie progress.
Trump’s Proven Record and Bold Vision
Contrast this with Trump’s first term, where he cut through the Gordian knot of regulations, approving over 20 LNG export permits and paving the way for projects like Alaska LNG, a $38 billion venture. Under his leadership, America became the world’s top LNG exporter, supplying over 13 billion cubic feet per day.
But Trump’s second term offers the chance for something far greater. By unleashing the full potential of the LNG sector—removing regulatory bottlenecks, expediting permits, and providing low-cost government-backed loans—the U.S. could quadruple LNG exports to over 50 billion cubic feet per day by 2029. This would equate to $2 trillion in annual GDP contribution, enough to significantly dent America’s ballooning $33 trillion national debt.
The Role of the DOE and FERC in LNG Permits
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) play pivotal roles in regulating LNG exports. Under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), the DOE reviews applications for LNG export permits, considering public interest factors such as economic, environmental, and national security impacts. Between 2017 and 2021, the DOE issued permits supporting substantial export growth. For instance, the DOE’s cumulative authorized LNG export levels exceeded 48 billion cubic feet per day by 2021, equivalent to 45% of U.S. natural gas production.
FERC complements this process by approving the siting, construction, and operation of LNG terminals. This includes evaluating environmental impacts and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. During Trump’s first term, streamlined permitting processes allowed projects like Golden Pass LNG and Driftwood LNG to progress more rapidly, demonstrating the administration’s commitment to expanding America’s energy footprint…
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