The administration said it will pause the review process — currently affecting four projects whose evaluations are underway — so that it can update how it analyzes natural gas export projects.
“During this period, we will take a hard look at the impacts of LNG exports on energy costs, America’s energy security, and our environment,” President Biden said in a statement.
He also invoked climate change, saying that the pause “sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time.”
The pause only applies to new export projects that would ship gas to countries with which the U.S. does not have a free trade agreement.
It is not expected to impact existing exports or projects that are currently under construction.
It’s not totally clear how long the pause will last. Officials said that updating the analyses will take at a few months and be followed by a comment period before the update is finalized.
A controversial pending project, known as CP2, is not expected to immediately be affected as its approval is not yet before the Biden administration, the official said. It would first need to be approved by the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Read more at TheHill.com.
