U.S. Energy Department Revokes Biden Policy On Natural Gas Export Deadlines
As Politico reported, last week the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) rescinded a policy put in place by the Biden administration that imposed restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal developers who had sought to extend shipment-start deadlines. In a filing in the Federal Register, the DOE said the April 2023 Biden administration policy statement “does not align with policies set forth” in President Donald Trump’s “unleashing American energy” executive order.
The DOE also argued the policy “poses an undue burden” on natural gas export authorization holders by “demanding significant time and resources.”
Under the 2023 policy, the DOE said it would no longer consider applications to extend export-start dates unless an applicant could prove that a permit holder already had started building a facility and “its inability to comply with the existing export commencement deadline” was due to uncontrollable extenuating circumstances.
After last week’s announcement, the DOE will go back to using it pre-2023 procedures that allowed it to consider extensions “for good cause on a case-by-case basis.”