Rep. Gardner: Support for gas export bill came from states without fracking

Rep. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) said Thursday that some votes in favor of his bill to speed liquefied natural gas (LNG) export applications came from representatives of states that ban hydraulic fracturing.

Gardner said those votes, along with about 50 votes from Democrats, and even some in House leadership positions, shows the wide support for LNG exports.

{mosads}“People who supported the export of H.R. 6 come from states who may have bans on hydraulic fracturing in place,” Gardner said at an event hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

“People realized that the fight we are having in this country over LNG exports transcends the local fight people are having over a hydraulic fracturing ban, because they understand the benefits that come from energy production and energy exports,” he said.

Gardner also said that if states ban fracking, they will not have enough natural gas to export.

The House passed Gardner’s bill in late June. It would set a 30-day limit for the Energy Department to consider applications to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement.

Gardner told the audience at the event that even though the Senate has not passed the bill and President Obama has not signed it into law, the House’s action is already giving Eastern European countries more leverage to negotiate better gas prices with Russia, since they believe the United States could be an alternative.

“For these nations, the mere passage, out of the House of Representatives, sends a signal to the market, a signal to the world, that we are serious about energy security and energy opportunity,” Gardner said.