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More than 1,000 days into President Joe Biden’s term, it’s been an all-out assault on American energy. The latest and most alarming attack on Southeast Texas is the introduction of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports by a president who is hyper-focused on crushing the very industry that keeps the lights on in my district. It is prohibited.
Southeast Texas has emerged as our nation’s vital LNG hub. Located approximately 160 miles from the fourth largest city in the United States and along the Sabine-Neches Waterway on the Gulf Coast, southeast Texas is easily accessible for ships transporting supplies to allied nations.
Additionally, the region is intricately connected by a network of interstate and intrastate pipelines, further increasing its strategic importance. We aim to be the energy capital of the world as well as the LNG hub of the world.
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For more than a decade, our community has embraced the presence of three LNG facilities located along strategic waterways: Cheniere LNG, Golden Pass LNG, and Port Arthur LNG. These facilities have helped fuel economic growth in Southeast Texas.
The Biden administration is restricting LNG exports, hurting Texas communities. FILE: In this aerial photo taken Wednesday, February 24, 2016 over Sabine Pass, Texas, the Asia Vision LNG carrier is docked at Cheniere Energy’s terminal. (Lindsay Johnnys/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
They have supported thousands of good-paying jobs for hard-working families, with a special focus on truck drivers across the country. In addition to revitalizing Southeast Texas’ hospitality sector, our community’s growth has allowed home builders to thrive and even food trucks on job sites to thrive.
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Each of these three facilities has demonstrated their commitment to Southeast Texas by contributing to student education through scholarships and seminars, regional infrastructure projects, mitigation projects, and overall economic development. The Port Arthur community is what it is today because these important investments are revitalizing the area.
Biden’s ban directly jeopardizes Port Arthur LNG, which broke ground in March. They said the Phase 1 project has been fully approved and will secure more than 6,000 jobs with more than 100 contracts signed with local contractors for construction worth more than $160 million.
They were in the process of applying for the second stage of the permit and approval process when the ban was announced. This is an expansion that will help meet future export demands to Europe, Asia and other global markets. This sudden politically motivated ban brings the project to a screeching halt. The ban would cost thousands of jobs in Southeast Texas and hurt vendors who rely on such projects.
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Workers, businesses and communities are not happy with Biden’s decision. We are seeing the positive impact of the oil and gas industry and want Southeast Texas to remain the energy capital of the world. More to the point, our country runs on the energy that my district and other districts provide.
The health of our nation’s economy depends on a healthy and robust energy industry. President Biden’s decision is wrong and must be reversed immediately. Rather than hog this positive growth opportunity, let’s step up LNG exports and make Southeast Texas the world’s LNG hub.
