“Major Victory For American Energy”: Judge Blocks Biden’s Pause On LNG Export Licenses

A federal court halted President Biden’s war on America’s energy independence by reversing a temporary moratorium on permitting new licenses for liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. This is a major blow to radical climate warriors in the White House ahead of the November presidential elections. 

Late Monday, US District Judge James D. Cain Jr. in Louisiana ruled in favor of Louisiana and 15 other red states that had challenged the “temporary pause” on new LNG export licenses. Donald Trump appointed Judge Cain, who wrote that the pause “is completely without reason or logic and is perhaps the epiphany of ideocracy.” 

The White House announced in January that the Energy Department would temporarily stop approving new LNG export licenses to assess the impact of shipments on global warming.  

Patrick Morrisey, the attorney general of West Virginia, called Cain’s ruling “a big win for the country’s energy industry and the millions of jobs it supports.”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the DoE’s halt on new licenses sparked a lot of uncertainty in her state, with tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure in question. She called yesterday’s decision “a major victory for American energy.”

The ruling means DoE must restart its permit approval process soon. However, it’s unclear when this will happen.

In a note in early February, Matt Egan and Brent Bennett of RealClear Wire wrote that the president’s politically motivated actions mainly targeted “Texas and Louisiana, red states that account for the bulk of US LNG exports.” Some have speculated that Biden’s action could have been a move to retaliate against red states that opposed open southern borders. 

A separate report from the Washington Free Beacon said Biden’s Climate Czar, John Podesta, ultimately pushed the decision. 

Here’s more from RealClear Wire’s Larry Behrens about Podesta’s LNG attack:

As a well-known climate warrior, it makes sense Podesta would be pushing for policies against American energy interests. Yet at the same time, Podesta’s brother, Tony, one of DC’s most well-connected mega lobbyists, has financial connections to foreign LNG companies, including one with links to a Russian oligarch. It is concerning to see the Podesta family standing to profit from a policy priority of the White House who employs another Podesta. Foreign companies, including Russia, are clear beneficiaries Biden’s LNG attack. It should be raising questions about potential conflicts of interest and profit motives at the White House.

Meanwhile, Angelo Fernández Hernández, a White House spokesman, told the Washington Post, “We are disappointed in today’s ruling. We remain committed to informing our decisions with the best available economic and environmental analysis, underpinned by sound science.”

The move by radical climate warriors in the White House to dent America’s energy independence comes as US LNG exports have doubled over the last four years.