House Subcommittee Holds Natural Gas Forum

On October 10, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power held a forum to discuss expanding U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.  Diplomats and energy advisers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Haiti, India, Lithuania, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Puerto Rico attended the forum, which was entitled "The Geopolitical Implications and Mutual Benefits of U.S. LNG exports."  Currently, the Department of Energy has approved four licenses to export natural gas to Europe and Asia, and twenty-one applications for export licenses await DOE consideration.  At the forum, the foreign representatives urged the U.S. to approve LNG export projects because their countries are eager to utilize America's natural gas resources.  The full Committee Chairman, Fred Upton, stated that the forum was an "opportunity to better explore how moving forward with American energy exports can help strengthen our ties with foreign nations while at the same time providing mutual benefits domestically."  

The Press Release is available at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/members-and-foreign-diplomats-discuss-mutual-benefits-us-lng-exports

Written by: Tom Panighetti

October 15, 2013