Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Bill Johnson (R-OH-06) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) released the following statement after legislation they co-sponsored, The Ensuring Small Scale LNG Certainty and Access Act (H.R. 4606), passed the U.S. House by a bipartisan vote of 260-146:
Countries located in the Caribbean, Central America, and in South America are increasingly looking to the United States to meet their natural gas needs, but not in the quantities that the current large-scale domestic exporting facilities were built to address. H.R. 4606 will help the United States fully realize its economic potential regarding small-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and associated technologies by reducing regulatory wait times for small quantities of excess natural gas to be exported. This legislation will simultaneously strengthen U.S. geopolitical ties, fuel job creation, and promote economic growth. H.R. 4606 is similar to a recent rule finalized by the Department of Energy (DOE). H.R. 4606 now moves to the U.S. Senate.
“It’s critically important that we take advantage of this opportunity we’ve been blessed with – there is no doubt that LNG exports are creating new, well-paying jobs and improving the quality of life for hard working families in Eastern and Southeastern Ohio,” Johnson said. “This legislation would ensure that the DOE rule will become law and not subject to the whims of future presidential administrations and policies. I thank Rep. Henry Cuellar for his help on this important bipartisan bill, and now the Senate needs to take the baton from us and pass this legislation so it can be signed into law.”
“The U.S. is currently the world’s largest producer of natural gas, with trillions of cubic feet of recoverable natural gas beneath our feet,” said Congressman Cuellar. “This bipartisan legislation codifies the DOE’s recent efforts to encourage the exports of small volumes of natural gas, as countries continue to look to us to meet their natural gas needs. I look forward to continuing to work with members on both sides of the aisle to encourage more natural gas exports, directly increasing our energy independence and security. I would like to thank Rep. Johnson for introducing this bipartisan measure and I encourage its passage in the Senate, so it may be signed into law by the president.”
Watch video of Congressman Cuellar speaking on H.R. 4606
Watch video of Congressman Johnson speaking on H.R. 4606
