Late last year, the United States became the world’s top exporter of liquefied natural gas for the first time in history. Providing affordable, reliable energy resources for nations all around the globe, American output surpassed the usual LNG leaders, Qatar and Australia. Yet, the question lingers, how long will this last?
As Bloomberg reported, LNG production in the U.S. has surged by roughly 70% since 2010. This massive increase has been the product of the shale gas revolution, where billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure has been poured into bolstering American energy pipelines. America’s ranking as the world’s No. 1 LNG exporter is the culmination of a decade’s worth of building and expansion here in the U.S.
Yet, today, America finds itself in the hands of an administration that doesn’t support domestic energy production. Until recently, the Biden administration’s solution to Europe’s energy crisis has been to implore Russia to send more gas over to their neighbors. Within his first few hours in the White House last year, President Joe Biden took swipes at the American energy industry by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline, pausing new oil and gas leases on federal lands, and supporting Russian pipelines. Since then, a domino effect of anti-energy policies has followed.
These policies have left Americans with higher prices to pay at the pumps, record-setting heating bills this winter and uncertainty surrounding U.S. energy security. If the United States is the lead exporter of LNG, and considering the abundance of natural resources in mineral-rich formations like the Permian, Bakken and Marcellus, why can’t we effectively increase access and supply within our own country? While there are many factors, one of the primary culprits is the constant fight over energy infrastructure development.
Opponents of energy infrastructure fail to acknowledge that modern oil and gas pipelines are curbing emissions and safely delivering critical energy resources every day, operating largely unnoticed. A study by the Fraser Institute found oil and gas pipelines are 4.5 times safer than transporting the resources by truck or train. As a result of the increased use of natural gas, carbon emissions in the U.S. have reduced over the past decade. Consumers around the globe are in need of reliable and affordable energy. For that to become a reality, building out infrastructure like pipelines and export facilities is necessary.
Our competitors already have plans in place to build out their LNG capabilities. Qatar is planning a massive LNG export project that will go online within the next five years. If the United States wants to remain the front-runner on the global stage, domestic energy development and innovation must be increased by federal and state governments in order to outperform other producers like Qatar and Australia.
With the timely news of the U.S. reaching the top of the LNG exporter ranking, the administration should champion LNG exports as part of an “all of the above” energy approach to boost our economy, fortify national security and assert geopolitical dominance in support of our allies.
Craig Stevens, a former senior adviser to U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman, is the spokesman for Grow America’s Infrastructure Now (GAIN). This was first published by RealClear Energy.
