Twelve House Democrats sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Friday urging him to “prioritize and expedite” the review of a natural gas export terminal that would send fuel to Ukraine, despite the administration's pause on new approvals for export hubs.

The 12 members of the parliament are request Issued out of concern for the long-term energy security of U.S. allies in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, it argues that allowing those allies to secure U.S. supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) would keep Russia at bay and serve U.S. geopolitical interests. The Biden-Harris administration announced a pause on new approvals for certain LNG export terminals in January, a policy that has remained in place ever since, despite concerns that the freeze could benefit producers in countries such as Russia and Qatar.

The letter was signed by the following Democratic Representatives: Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Jim Costa of California, Chris DelZio of Pennsylvania, Lou Correa of ​​California, Donald Davis of North Carolina, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mary Peltola of Alaska, Mark Veasey of Texas, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Marie Grusenkamp Perez of Washington, and Susan Wilde of Pennsylvania. Of note are seven of the signatories: Kaptur, DelZio, Correa, Davis, Garcia, Houlahan, and Wilde. Voted In February, he opposed the “Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Bill.” Effectively If it becomes law, it would overturn the moratorium on LNG approvals. (Related article: Federal court lifts Biden's ban on natural gas exports, but the federal government may not “lift a finger” anytime soon.)

Democratic LNG Letter President by Nick Pope

“Delays in delivering additional LNG to Ukraine and our Eastern European allies could jeopardize European energy security and market stability in the long term,” the lawmakers wrote. “Typical gas offtake agreements are measured in years, not months, and are backed by certainty, and should not send contradictory messages to allies who want to end their dependence on Vladimir Putin for good. We believe that the United States must demonstrate its commitment to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and resilience amid continuing threats by prioritizing and expediting the review of projects to supply LNG to Ukraine and Eastern Europe.”

The lawmakers added that Ukraine's energy situation could become particularly acute or unstable if its main gas deal with Russian giant Gazprom expires at the end of the year without adequate alternative supplies being secured.

Government moratorium Applies to Specifically, a terminal that exports LNG to countries that are not free trade agreement partners. Since the moratorium took effect, the Department of Energy (DOE) has approved just one such facility, but energy sector experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the approval was likely a political move to help the Harris campaign fend off attacks on the issue, and not a signal to developers with larger projects that the freeze is nearing an end.

The Biden-Harris administration says the moratorium is to allow the Department of Energy to consider the climate impacts of new terminals alongside economic and security considerations, but energy experts argue it could strengthen the market position of producers such as Russia and Qatar, who produce gas using less clean methods than U.S. companies. The lawmakers touched on this aspect of the policy in their letter to President Biden, expressing their belief that the U.S. is capable of “balanced” production. [its] Environmental initiatives and the need for a reliable energy supply [its] European allies.”

The offices of Kaptur, Costa, Del Zio, Correa, Davis, Garcia, Gonzalez, Peltola, Veazey, Houlahan, Grusenkamp-Perez and Wild did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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