NorthAmOil: Biden administration asks court to block request to lift LNG exports pause

The Biden administration has requested a US Court of Appeals throw out an order for the US Department of Energy (DoE) to remove its pause over issuing export approvals for new LNG projects, S&P Global reported on November 7.

In a case filing on November 1, attorneys for the US Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed that a challenge by 16 Republican-led states should be rejected over a lack of jurisdiction, arguing that only federal appeals courts have authority concerning export orders by the DoE.

The move is an attempt by the DoJ to reverse a decision in July by a federal district judge in Louisiana to overturn President Biden’s LNG pause.

DOJ attorneys also added that the plaintiffs “have no direct stake in the pending export applications, and they identify no direct financial injury from a temporary delay”.

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to quickly overturn the pause upon taking office in January as a Day 1 priority of his new administration. Trump will be sworn into office on January 20.

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