[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3807-3808]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           INCREASED EXPORTS

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, a few years ago--actually in 2010--
President Obama announced something he called the National Export 
Initiative. The goal of the initiative was to double American exports 
in 5 years. That is right, double American exports in 5 years--
something certainly I support. It has been more than 4 years now, and 
it is pretty clear we are going to fall way short of the President's 
goal.
  During his State of the Union Address this January, the President 
pledged once again to open new markets to American goods. The President 
specifically requested trade promotion authority. The very next day the 
Democrats' majority leader rejected the request. I come to the floor 
today to discuss how President Obama can increase American exports 
despite the opposition from his own party.
  The President should focus on energy, and the President should take 
the steps needed to increase exports of American natural gas, oil, and 
coal. Energy exports are going to create good jobs here in America and 
reduce our Nation's trade deficit. American natural gas, our oil, and 
our coal exports will also reap important foreign policy benefits, such 
as helping nations in Europe such as Ukraine free themselves from 
Russian manipulation. That is what it is--Russian manipulation.
  Last month the magazine The Economist published an article with the 
headline ``The petro-state of America: The energy boom is good for 
America and the world. It would be nice if Barack Obama helped a bit.'' 
That is from The Economist last month. The article explained that the 
United States may already have surpassed Russia as the world's largest 
oil and natural gas producer. The Economist went on to discuss the 
benefits of liquefied natural gas exports from the United States. It 
said that natural gas exports ``could generate tanker loads of cash''--
``tanker loads of cash''--for America.

[[Page 3808]]

  However, The Economist also pointed out that the process for 
obtaining the permits--the permits needed to export that American 
natural gas--is ``insanely slow.'' This is not an exaggeration. Over 
the past 3\1/2\ years the Department of Energy has used its discretion 
to approve only six applications to export liquefied natural gas. 
Meanwhile, the Department of Energy is sitting on 24 other 
applications. Fourteen of those have been pending for more than 1 year, 
and two of them have been pending for more than 2 years. To put this in 
context, the United States has approved only two-thirds of the amount 
of liquefied natural gas exports that Canada has.
  Last year I introduced a piece of legislation, S. 192, the Expedited 
LNG for American Allies Act. It is a bipartisan bill, with supporters 
on both sides of the aisle, cosponsors on both sides of the aisle. This 
would require the Department of Energy to approve applications to 
export natural gas to members of NATO, to Japan, and to any other 
country where gas exports would promote U.S. national security 
interests. Think about the country of Ukraine. As Congress considers 
this legislation, President Obama should direct his Energy Department 
to expedite the existing permitting process. He should set firm 
deadlines for the Department in acting on pending applications.
  These exports are going to create jobs all across this country--from 
natural gas fields in Wyoming, to steel mills in the Midwest, to ports 
along our coasts.
  Liquefied natural gas exports will also help reduce our Nation's 
trade deficit, which stood at nearly $39 billion in December.
  Finally, natural gas exports will help our allies in Europe. Ukraine 
imports about 60 percent of its natural gas from Russia. So what is 
Russia's position on this? Well, we know that Vladimir Putin--Russia 
had actually cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine twice before--in 
2006 and in 2009. Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal reported 
that Russia's state-owned energy giant, Gazprom, is now threatening to 
raise gas prices in the Ukraine. American natural gas exports could 
help Ukraine and other European countries reduce their dependence on 
Russia.
  President Obama can also increase American exports by lifting the ban 
on exporting crude oil. The International Energy Agency estimates that 
the United States is going to overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's 
largest producer of crude oil by 2020. This really is a remarkable 
development, and it has happened because of hydraulic fracturing and 
unconventional oil and gas production. It is estimated that 
unconventional oil and gas production is going to create up to 1.7 
million new jobs in this country by 2020. But in January the 
International Energy Agency warned that the ban on crude oil exports--
the ban that exists on those exports--could impede American crude oil 
production.
  If the President does not lift the export ban, he is going to put 
American oil production and thousands of jobs at risk. He will also 
pass up on an incredible opportunity--an opportunity to reshape the 
global oil market. For generations, Americans have been subject to the 
whims of the global oil market. Americans pay more at the pump when oil 
production goes offline, wherever it is located. American crude oil 
exports would boost the world's oil supply and help stabilize prices 
for American consumers.
  American exports would also undermine the influence of oil-rich 
countries that do not like us very much. For years the United States 
has asked Japan and India to reduce their imports of Iranian oil. These 
are two of the world's largest oil importers--Japan and India. In 2012 
Japan imported more than 4 percent of its oil from Iran. India imported 
about 8 percent of its oil from Iran. American crude oil exports could 
help cut off a vital supply of funding to the Iranian regime. If my 
colleagues are serious about ensuring that countries abide by U.S. 
sanctions on Iran, they should support American crude oil exports, not 
oppose them.
  Finally, President Obama needs to promote exports of American coal. 
Like natural gas and oil, coal exports are going to create good jobs 
all across the country.
  Over the last several years the Environmental Protection Agency has 
taken steps to block American coal exports. The EPA is asking the Army 
Corps of Engineers to radically expand the environmental review process 
for new export terminals. It wants the Corps to consider the carbon 
emissions that would be produced by exports after they leave the United 
States. I want to repeat that. The EPA wants to block exports because 
of the carbon emissions the exports would produce when they are used 
after they leave the United States.
  The National Association of Manufacturers says the EPA's actions 
would set ``a very dangerous precedent that could be used to block 
exports of all types.'' That includes exports of American automobiles, 
exports of civilian aircraft, exports of heavy equipment that we 
manufacture here in the United States.
  To its credit, the Army Corps of Engineers has said it will not 
expand the environmental review process for new export terminals. 
President Obama should ensure that the Corps will complete its work in 
a timely manner and do so without interference from the EPA or any 
other agency.
  President Obama is fond of saying he has a pen and he has a phone. He 
has boasted about ignoring the will of Congress. He seems to take 
delight in finding legal authority where he has none. President Obama 
should stop using his so-called authority that is authority he does not 
have, and he should start using authority he does have. He needs to use 
his authority to promote American exports. President Obama needs to 
lift restrictions on exports of natural gas and on oil and coal so 
Americans can get back to work and our country can regain its stature 
in the world.


                               The Budget

  I also want to speak very briefly about another area where I think 
the President's administration is really not doing enough.
  Yesterday the White House finally released the President's budget. 
This budget included no evidence of leadership and no sign that the 
President is ready to make a single responsible decision when it comes 
to Washington's out-of-control debt. The budget increases spending by 
$791 billion over the next 10 years. It is a 63-percent increase over 
where we are today--63 percent. It adds another $8.3 trillion of debt 
over the next decade. That is on top of $6.8 trillion in debt the 
President has already racked up. The President has never submitted a 
balanced budget in his life, and this one is no exception.
  President Obama is now a lameduck President. That becomes more 
obvious every time he puts out a partisan political agenda such as this 
one instead of putting out a serious plan for how government should 
spend taxpayers' money. The President's budget does nothing to reform 
Washington's entitlement spending. Is this really the legacy the 
President wants to leave for America's young people?
  The White House has called this plan ``Opportunity for All.'' There 
is no opportunity in this budget. It is just more debt, more taxes, 
more accounting gimmicks, budget tricks so the President does not have 
to make the tough, responsible decisions one would expect of the 
President of the United States.
  On energy exports and on the budget, the President should be taking 
opportunities to solve some of the real challenges facing our country, 
not letting them pass him by.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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