[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 28, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E127-E128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 351, LNG PERMITTING CERTAINTY AND 
                            TRANSPARENCY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 27, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about the rule 
governing debate on this bill, H.R. 351, the ``LNG Permitting Certainty 
and Transparency Act.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am not anti-energy exploration. I am not anti-trade. I 
am, however strongly ``pro-jobs,'' ``pro-economic growth,'' and ``pro-
sustainable environment.''
  As a Member of Congress from Houston I have always been mindful of 
the importance of, and have strongly advocated for, national energy 
policies that will make our nation energy independent, preserve and 
create jobs, and keep our nation's economy strong.
  That is why I carefully consider each energy legislative proposal 
brought to the floor on its individual merits and support them when 
they are sound, balanced, fair, and promote the national interest.
  Where they fall short, I believe in working across the aisle to 
improve them if possible by offering constructive amendments.
  Although I believe the nation would benefit by increased exports of 
natural gas, the legislation before contains several provisions that 
are of great concern to me.
  Pursuant to Section 2, subsection (a) of the bill, an application for 
authorization to export LNG is ``deemed'' approved if the Department of 
Energy (DOE) or other federal agencies do not approve or deny the 
application within 30 days of the conclusion of the site review.
  I have three concerns with this regulatory scheme.
  First, as a senior member of the Committee on the Judiciary, I have a 
problem with ``deeming'' something done that has not been done in fact.
  Thus, the provision is unwise.
  Second, this provision is a remedy in search of a problem. There is 
no lengthy or intolerable backlog of neglected natural gas export 
authority applications awaiting action by DOE.
  The provision is unnecessary because DOE has to date authorized the 
export of over 10

[[Page E128]]

billion cubic feet per day of LNG to non-Free Trade Agreement 
countries.
  Together with exports to FTA countries, this level of LNG exports 
that would transform the United States into one of the world's largest 
exporters.
  Third, the provision is irresponsible because it would require DOE 
and other agencies to make decisions based on incomplete information or 
information that may not be available within the stringent deadlines, 
and to deny applications that otherwise would have been approved, but 
for lack of sufficient review time.
  Supporters of this bill argue that it is vital, in the face of 
Russian aggression and restrictions, to provide our allies in Europe 
with additional exports of LNG.
  However, because actual exports through approved terminals are not 
expected to begin until late 2015, this legislation will have no impact 
on current exports.
  And, limiting the time for review would prevent DOE from properly 
analyzing the domestic impact that of exporting large amounts of LNG.
  The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that increased 
exports could result in an increase of as much as 8% in domestic LNG 
prices.
  Given the inherent delicacy involved in assessing the impact of trade 
authorizations, both domestically and abroad, this state of affairs is 
likely to lead to DOE erring on the side of caution and denying 
applications that may otherwise have been approved if it had more time 
and more resources to carry out its responsibilities.
  For these reasons, I urge all Members to oppose the rule, and the 
underlying bill.

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