Cassidy, Fleming seek to keep report from tying up LNG exports
Published 10:02 am Tuesday, July 15, 2014
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed an amendment to its energy and water development appropriations bill for 2015 that would prevent federal energy officials from using a recent report on LNG exports and greenhouse gases to determine public interest.
The amendment, co-authored by Rep. William Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, and Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, would prevent the Department of Energy from applying its recent report “Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States” into the public interest determination process it uses to review LNG export applications.
Cassidy said in a news release that the department’s report factors in a “perceived impact” that LNG exports have on greenhouse gas emissions. Cassidy added that the report will be used as a “decision-making tool regarding green house gas emissions of U.S. LNG exports for use in electric power generation.”
“Our goal is to keep LNG exports from being tied up in red tape,” said Cassidy in a telephone interview with the American Press. “With this report, the DOE is compromising with the environmental groups whose interests include life cycle greenhouse gas emissions.
“The DOE claims that the impacts are not ‘reasonably foreseeable,’” he added. “I’m using their term, but nonetheless it invites these special interest groups to participate, which effectively opens the door to litigation that can tie up investment in projects for the creation of jobs, which is red tape by another means,” Cassidy added.
The House passed the Cassidy-Fleming amendment 232-187.
The House passed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2014 by a vote of 253-170.
The fate of the Cassidy-Fleming amendment will be determined when lawmakers from both sides of Congress conference to create a final spending resolution for 2015.
Cassidy, who is seeking Sen. Mary Landrieu’s Senate seat this year, said Louisiana citizens will have to trust that the Senate “will be responsible” and be an advocate for oil and gas jobs.
Lindsey Geisler, spokesperson for the Department of Energy, could not be reached for comment.
