NorthAmOil: Biden reportedly weighs stricter climate rules for new LNG exports

The Biden administration is reviewing the climate criteria for approval of new or expanded LNG export facilities, according to reports.

President Joe Biden, who faces a tight re-election race in November, is under pressure to burnish his environmental credentials, setting him on course for a clash with the US’s geopolitical priorities.

Gas has become more of a global political football than ever since Russia, a major gas producer, invaded Ukraine in 2022. Biden subsequently promised to up US LNG exports to Europe, which was turning away from its Russian imports.

According to Politico, the US Department of Energy (DOE) is leading a review of whether the administration takes the issue of climate change into account enough when deciding whether approving or expanding an LNG export plant is in the national interest.

Bloomberg reported that a panel of government officials had been convened by the White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi to brief Biden on the matter. The president has not yet made a decision, two anonymous sources familiar with the matter told the news service. Pending LNG projects could be delayed.

The US, the world’s biggest LNG exporter last year, has five export facilities for the super-chilled gas under construction, with more permitted and awaiting a final investment decision.