Sen. Cruz introduces bill to support liquid natural gas exports

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced this week the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act, which would expedite the process to
export liquid natural gas (LNG) to non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries.

The bill would cause non-FTA countries to be treated the same as free trade countries in regards to LNG export permits. It would retain current law for restricted nations that are subject to sanctions or trade restrictions and allow the President or Congress to specifically exclude any country from expedited approval.

The current review process for LNG exports can be lengthy. A press release from Sen. Cruz cited a case in which a Texas company filed its initial application to export LNG to non-FTA countries in October 2012 and did not receive Department of Energy (DOE) approval until April 2017.

“Expedited LNG exports will strengthen our position against current and potential foes of America, and benefit our friends and allies around the world, while driving down energy costs at home,” Cruz said. “Right now, this is particularly important to families across Texas and the nation, as they budget for travel and gasoline costs for their summer vacations.”

According to energy industry analysts, the United States is likely to become a net natural gas exporter by next year, largely due to LNG exports. The United States recently sent its first ever shipment of LNG to Poland.