Major Energy Trade Associations Challenge Legality of DOE’s LNG Export Pause

One of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s largest trade groups is pushing the Department of Energy (DOE) to reverse a pause on new LNG export licenses as the possibility of intervention from Congress slims.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) and other groups representing the liquefied natural gas industry have filed a request for rehearing of the decision announced by the Biden administration in January. At the time, the administration said the DOE would halt considerations for non-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) permits while it reviewed its policies for determining whether a project is in the public interest.

In its filing, API called the action “arbitrary and capricious” and in violation of the DOE’s authority under the U.S. Natural Gas Act (NGA).

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