Joint Letter to President

Joint Letter to President Biden on Energy Security

February 25, 2022

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

In light of this week’s invasion of Ukraine by Russia and its implications for domestic and global energy security, our organizations are writing to offer support and urge you to take several specific actions to help bolster U.S. and European energy security right now, at this dangerous juncture, and in the months ahead.

It is now more apparent than ever that U.S. natural gas helps our allies in Europe—and elsewhere—increase their energy security and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Prior Republican and Democratic Administrations alike have made it clear that natural gas is a critical part of national security and an important climate solution. We urge your administration to do the same. Working collaboratively, the U.S. government and industry can do more to help our allies while shoring up our own energy security.

First, we encourage you and your Cabinet to publicly signal your support for domestic natural gas and oil production. America’s vast energy resources are a strategic asset that can help keep U.S. prices low while supporting our allies abroad. Policies such as pausing leasing on federal lands, preventing new pipeline infrastructure, and discouraging investments across the hydrocarbon value chain hamper U.S. production, thereby driving up prices and making the world more reliant on energy from nations such as Russia. In addition, as energy prices are set by the global commodity market, just the perception that production will be constrained often leads to higher prices.

Second, we ask that you work with the EU leadership to stand-up a joint EU-U.S. Emergency Energy Infrastructure Council—perhaps under the auspices of the EU-U.S. Energy Council—to work with U.S. and European business interests to expand the long-term commercial relationships needed to “green-light” additional U.S. LNG export capacity, European LNG receiving terminals, and associated pipelines on both sides of the Atlantic. The goal should be to have new “virtual transatlantic gas pipelines” in place as soon as possible, but no later than the Winter 2022-2023 heating season.

Third, we urge you to instruct the Department of Energy to immediately approve the U.S. LNG export applications pending before it to export gas from the United States to our willing partners and allies around the globe with an urgent focus on the applications that have already been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or do not require FERC authorization.1

Fourth, although FERC is an independent agency, we urge you to join us in asking the commissioners to act within the next six months on all pending U.S. LNG export facility and gas pipeline applications in order to help move more natural gas to domestic customers and LNG export facilities.

Fifth, and finally, the Executive Office of the President—acting with and through the U.S. International Finance Development Corporation—should immediately release the $300 million in funding that the United States promised in 2020 to the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund to build critical natural gas and other energy infrastructure along the North-South corridor in Central and Eastern Europe. This will help the EU invest more in their own gas networks to ensure there is adequate supply for their citizens into the future.

Russia’s energy exports have funded their illegal invasion of Ukraine, and their actions are now driving up energy prices in the United States while creating energy insecurity throughout Europe. Given the fact that about 70 percent of all Russian gas exports go to Europe, the equivalent of a Berlin Airlift or Marshall Plan is urgently needed to reduce and eventually end Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. U.S. LNG can immediately facilitate that goal.

Our organizations and member companies will continue to work closely with your Administration and the leadership of the European Union to support and bolster both U.S. and EU energy security at this pivotal time and in the uncertain years that lie ahead.

Sincerely,

Fred H. Hutchison, President & CEO
LNG Allies, The US LNG Association

Anne Bradbury, CEO
American Exploration and Production Council (AXPC)

Lucian Pugliaresi, President
Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc. (EPRINC)

Toby Mack, President & CEO
Energy Equipment & Infrastructure Alliance (EEIA)

CC: The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy
CC: The Honorable Antony John Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
CC: The Honorable Scott A. Nathan, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. International Finance Development Corp.

1 The DOE LNG Dockets are: 12-156, 13-132, 18-145, 19-124, 19-125, and 20-153.

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