The U.S. has become the world’s top exporter of liquefied natural gas. President Biden is finding that this superpower status comes with its own set of headaches, reports The Wall Street Journal.
In the past two years, hundreds of cargoes loaded with supercooled gas have departed the U.S. Gulf Coast as foreign buyers turn to America for energy supplies. Developers of export terminals are now capitalizing on the momentum, pushing for plans to build more facilities to expand LNG production.
But climate activists and Democratic lawmakers want the Biden administration to stop the expansion. They argue that the federal government, which has to approve LNG projects, is failing to account for the harmful effects of gas exports on the climate, the U.S. economy and local communities.
As the newspaper reports, the mounting opposition comes as Biden heads into a contentious presidential election, and fossil-fuel supplies will be a key issue. The candidate has to corral young, climate-concerned voters, some of whom view his track record on the environment as mixed after his administration approved several fossil-fuel projects. He must also reassure foreign allies that the U.S. will remain a reliable provider of the fossil fuels on which they depend.
A White House spokesman tells the newspaper that “President Biden has led and delivered on the most ambitious climate agenda in history.” He pointed to Biden’s signature climate bill and a recent Environmental Protection Agency rule to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations, among other measures.
Former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail has pledged to expand U.S. fossil-fuel supplies immediately.
