DENVER – Following President Biden’s recent decision to halt new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export licenses, Western Energy Alliance today called on the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act” (H.R. 7176). Lawmakers will debate the legislation introduced by Rep. August Pfluger (TX-11) this week. The proposal would revoke export licensing from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which is the authority President Biden used to “pause” new exports, and grant exclusive regulatory authority to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
“In recent weeks, we’ve seen bipartisan pushback to Pres. Biden’s decision and strong support for exporting American LNG to our allies. It’s clear the president made an election-year calculation rather than one based on facts or public interest. Congress needs to step in to take corrective action,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Alliance. “The fact that DOE retains authority today over export decisions is a relic of the 1938 Natural Gas Act. Federal licensing isn’t required for other commodities and is born of an outdated philosophy that natural gas must be conserved because of its scarcity. The words ‘American natural gas’ and ‘scarcity’ should never be said in the same sentence ever again, but that old-fashioned statute remains. By eliminating DOE from the equation, Congress can remove an outdated and unnecessary step to help ensure secure energy for our allies, further greenhouse gas reductions, and economic growth.” Industry Groups Back “Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act,” Urge Immediate Congressional Action2/1/2024
HOUSTON -- Energy Workforce & Technology Council (EWTC) joined the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA), US Oil and Gas Association (USOGA), National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA), Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, Western Energy Alliance, and Gulf Energy Alliance today in urging Congress to take immediate legislative action to counter the Biden Administrations’ recent decision to halt LNG permits.
The legislation, “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act,” was introduced by U.S. Congressman August Pfluger and seeks to place the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in charge of all LNG export permitting in the United States. Associations Defend Industry’s Interests Where Task Force Fell Silent
CASPER, Wyo. – In response to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Rock Springs Resource Management Plan Revisions (RMP), the Petroleum Association of Wyoming (PAW) and Western Energy Alliance (Alliance) submitted comments in defense of multiple use to Wyoming BLM State Director Andrew Archuleta. The industry groups were compelled to take this action to defend the oil and natural gas industry’s interests where the recent task force, assembled by the state and facilitated by the University of Wyoming, remained largely silent. DENVER – Western Energy Alliance today submitted comments on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) proposed rule to list Natural Asset Companies (NAC) as a new category of publicly traded companies on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The association’s comments come right as the SEC withdrew the proposal shortly before the filing deadline. If advanced the proposal would have allowed NACs to monetize ecological values on public, private and tribal lands for “sustainable” activities and to prohibit productive activities such as oil and natural gas development.
The Alliance’s comments pointed out that the broad authority SEC proposed had no basis in law and conflicted with existing congressional mandates that explicitly delegate public land management to various federal agencies. DENVER – Western Energy Alliance’s president, Kathleen Sgamma, will testify at a legislative hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in support of Rep. Harriet Hageman’s bill H.R. 6481 to require the Interior Secretary to reimburse expression of interest (EOI) fees on federal onshore oil and natural gas parcels if they become inactive. The bill addresses confusion on how the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) implements the fee, which was created in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, December 12th, at 10:30 a.m. ET, and will be available on the committee’s website.
“Rep. Hageman’s bill would correct one of the various flaws of the EOI provisions in IRA. First to identify the flaws. The EOI language in IRA, if unchanged, requires companies to pay a $5 per-acre fee for the acreage they nominate, regardless of whether the acreage is ever offered for sale,” said Sgamma. “Based on the large proportion of nominated acreage that BLM historically sits on for years and never brings to sale, the government is in the inappropriate position of charging for nothing. The government takes the money whether or not the service is rendered, something that certainly would not work in the private sector.” |
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