Amb. Emanuel on USLNG

U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, at the Western States and Tribal Nations Summit

Dec. 12, 2022: As the United States ambassador to Japan, I can tell you that the United States is “all in” with Japan as we co-invest in each other’s country and help each other strengthen our energy supply lines. That’s why I’m pleased that on Dec. 1 we launched the U.S.-Japan Energy Security Dialogue. We agreed to work together so that LNG markets [can] overcome disruptions, and we expressed support for investment in the United States. President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and weaponization of energy clearly demonstrate the dangers of depending on despots for your energy security and needs. Industrialized economies cannot be that vulnerable in the future.

A clear lesson is to import LNG from your friends.

Like Europe, Japan must wean itself off Russian energy. Today, Russia supplies about nine percent of Japan’s LNG while the United States already supplies about ten percent, and we can supply more. Planned projects including those involving Western States and tribal nations would provide Japan and other nations in Asia with dependable secure energy at a reasonable cost with no strategic choke points along the way. We should strengthen our focus on energy security and reducing methane emissions which can help bring billions more cubic meters of gas to market. Let’s keep the momentum going. Let’s work together as friends and let’s build a future together.

For additional detail see the Wrap-Up Report from the Western States and Tribal Nations West Coast LNG Export Forum held at Colorado Mesa University on Dec. 12-13 in Grand Junction, Colorado. Link to Archived Video