NTU applauds the House for undertaking consideration of H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act of 2015. In particular, NTU strongly supports Sec. 2005, “Authorization to Export Natural Gas,” which would expedite the approval process for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
As is the case in many other sectors of the energy industry, a lengthy and unnecessarily burdensome regulatory process constrains the enormous economic potential of LNG exports, hobbling the profitability of our growing domestic natural gas industry. Even as the availability of resources remains on an upward trend, based on domestic consumption, there are limited prospects for ramped up production unless new markets abroad are unlocked. Reforming the export approval process would spur additional development and ensure the industry has the economic incentives necessary to thrive, bringing with it thousands of jobs and much needed economic growth.
Further, NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on the following amendments to H.R. 8:
Amd. #2: Rouzer (R-NC): This amendment would repeal the March 2015 Environmental Protection Agency rule establishing federal standards for residential wood heater emissions. The misguided rule would effectively ban a major portion of wood stoves currently on the market and hurt rural Americans who rely on wood heaters as an affordable home-heating solution.
Amd. #3: Barton (R-TX): This amendment would repeal the nearly 40 year ban on crude oil exports. Thanks to technological advancements in energy extraction, the United States has become the world’s number one crude oil producer. However, supply chain constraints create an artificial cap on the domestic crude market, restricting U.S. crude producers’ ability to increase capacity and maintain a thriving energy industry.
Repealing the crude export ban would be an enormous economic boon to taxpayers by adding hundreds of thousands of new jobs to the economy, increasing GDP by billions, and enhancing household income. In addition to a major boost to the energy sector, downstream manufacturing jobs would also see much needed gains from liberalizing our crude export policy.
As economies develop and increase the global demand for reliable, affordable energy sources, U.S. crude producers shouldn’t be cut off from prospective markets. Roll call votes on this amendment to H.R. 8 will be significantly weighted in our annual Rating of Congress.
Amd. #65: Gosar (R-AZ): This amendment would ensure timely review for legal challenges to energy projects on federal land and discourage frivolous lawsuits, thereby ensuring essential energy development is not needlessly delayed.
Roll call votes on the above amendment to H.R. 8 will be included in our annual Rating of Congress and “Yes” votes will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift at (703) 683-5700