[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2248 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2248

  To terminate the prohibitions on the exportation and importation of 
                  natural gas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2019

   Mr. Higgins of Louisiana introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
   the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To terminate the prohibitions on the exportation and importation of 
                  natural gas, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``License Natural Gas Now Act of 
2019'' or the ``LNG Now Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the exportation of natural gas produced in the United 
        States is in the interest of the United States; and
            (2) because natural gas produced in the United States has a 
        lower greenhouse gas emissions profile than other energy 
        sources used in high volumes in other countries, the 
        exportation of natural gas from the United States may help 
        lower global emissions of carbon dioxide.

SEC. 3. EXPORTATION OR IMPORTATION OF NATURAL GAS.

    (a) In General.--Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b) 
is amended--
            (1) by striking the section heading and all that follows 
        through ``(a) After'' and inserting the following:

``SEC. 3. EXPORTATION OR IMPORTATION OF NATURAL GAS; LNG TERMINALS.

    ``(a) Authorization To Export or Import Natural Gas.--
            ``(1) In general.--After'';
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)--
                            (i) in the second sentence, by striking ``, 
                        unless,'' and all that follows through the 
                        period at the end of the sentence and inserting 
                        ``without modification or delay.''; and
                            (ii) in the third sentence, by striking 
                        ``by its order'' and all that follows through 
                        the period at the end of the sentence and 
                        inserting ``condition the order on a 
                        requirement that the applicant, on request, 
                        provide relevant data to the Commission to 
                        facilitate the information collection and 
                        statistical activities of the Commission.''; 
                        and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Authority to limit exportation of natural gas.--
                    ``(A) Major disaster or emergency in united 
                states.--If the President declares a major disaster or 
                emergency under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
                and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), 
                the President may limit the volume of natural gas 
                exported from the United States during the 90-day 
                period beginning on the date on which the President 
                declares the major disaster or emergency.
                    ``(B) National emergency under international 
                emergency economic powers act.--If the President 
                declares a national emergency under section 202 of the 
                International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 
                1701) with respect to a country, the President may 
                limit the volume of natural gas exported from the 
                United States to that country.
            ``(3) Prohibitions.--
                    ``(A) Prohibition on restricting natural gas 
                importation or exportation.--Except as provided in 
                paragraphs (1) and (2) or in any Federal authorization 
                to export natural gas from the United States to a 
                foreign country or to import natural gas into the 
                United States from a foreign country in effect on the 
                date of enactment of the LNG Now Act of 2019, to 
                promote the efficient exploration, production, storage, 
                supply, marketing, pricing, and regulation of energy 
                resources, including fossil fuels, no employee of the 
                Federal Government shall impose or enforce any 
                restriction or condition on--
                            ``(i) the exportation of natural gas from 
                        the United States to a foreign country; or
                            ``(ii) the importation of natural gas into 
                        the United States from a foreign country.
                    ``(B) Secretary of energy prohibition.--The 
                Secretary of Energy shall not treat, on the basis of 
                national origin, any imported natural gas on an unjust, 
                unreasonable, unduly discriminatory, or preferential 
                basis.
            ``(4) Consideration of imported natural gas as a first 
        sale.--The importation of natural gas into the United States 
        from a foreign country shall be considered to be a first sale 
        (as defined in section 2 of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 
        (15 U.S.C. 3301)).'';
            (3) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and
            (4) by redesignating subsections (d) through (f) as 
        subsections (b) through (d), respectively.
    (b) Effect.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall not affect 
any Federal authorization to export natural gas from the United States 
to a foreign country or to import natural gas into the United States 
from a foreign country in effect on the date of enactment of the LNG 
Now Act of 2019.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON FOSTERING NATURAL GAS EXPORTS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to Congress a report 
describing actions taken by the United States Government, and actions 
that could be taken by the United States Government, to foster the 
exportation of natural gas from the United States to foreign countries.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON EXISTING REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to Congress a report that 
identifies regulations in effect as of such date of enactment that 
inhibit the growth of the market for natural gas exported from the 
United States.

SEC. 6. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act or an amendment made by this 
Act shall be construed to limit the authority of the President under--
            (1) the Constitution of the United States;
            (2) the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 
        U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or regulations issued under that Act;
            (3) the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.);
            (4) the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. 4301 et 
        seq.); or
            (5) any other provision of law that imposes sanctions with 
        respect to a foreign person or foreign government (including 
        any provision of law that prohibits or restricts a United 
        States person from engaging in a transaction with a sanctioned 
        person or government), including a foreign government that is 
        designated as a state sponsor of terrorism.
    (b) State Sponsor of Terrorism Defined.--In this section, the term 
``state sponsor of terrorism'' means a country the government of which 
the Secretary of State has determined to be a government that has 
repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism for 
purposes of--
            (1) section 6(j)(1)(A) of the Export Administration Act of 
        1979 (50 U.S.C. 4605(j)(1)(A)) (as continued in effect pursuant 
        to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 
        1701 et seq.));
            (2) section 620A(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
        (22 U.S.C. 2371(a));
            (3) section 40(d) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
        2780(d)); or
            (4) any other provision of law.
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