Today, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) sent the letter below to the House to oppose HR 7176 the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act. LCV will strongly consider including votes on HR 7176 in the 2024 National Environmental Scorecard. In addition, LCV, joined 66 other organizations, including Chispa Texas, Maine Conservation Voters, North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, and Ohio Environmental Council Action Fund, to send a letter to the House of Representatives urging Members to oppose HR 7176.

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February 13, 2024

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Re: Oppose HR 7176 the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act

Hi Representative:

The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) believes that everyone has a right to clean air, clean water, public lands, and a safe climate protected by a just and equitable democracy. Each year, LCV publishes the National Environmental Scorecard, which details the voting records of members of Congress on environmental legislation. The Scorecard is distributed to LCV members, concerned voters nationwide, and the media.

LCV urges you to vote no on H.R. 7176, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2024, and any related amendments that would accelerate the expansion of liquefied methane gas (otherwise known as liquefied natural gas, or LNG) exports.

This legislation would institute dangerous rollbacks of the federal government’s responsibility to examine the full impacts of LNG expansion on U.S. energy markets, the environment, local communities, and consumers. Instead of requiring a rigorous review process consistent with good governance practices, this legislation is a dangerous step in the wrong direction that would strip away the federal government’s ability and responsibility to properly analyze the impacts of LNG exports. The fossil fuel industry is already raking in record profits at the expense of communities and the environment, yet their supporters in Congress are still giving them handouts that lock us into increase and indefinite extraction and climate disruption, unstable energy prices, and continued health and safety impacts, particularly for frontline communities.

This legislation also undermines the commonsense pause that was recently announced by the Biden-Harris administration. The pause only impacts pending and future approvals of new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects until the Department of Energy (DOE) updates its approach to reviewing such projects. This reevaluation will address longstanding shortcomings in DOE’s outdated and incomplete approach to determining whether LNG export projects are in the public interest, including factoring in impacts on costs to US families and businesses, climate impacts, and environmental justice.

For all these reasons we urge you to oppose H.R. 7176 and any amendment that would accelerate the expansion of LNG and undermine DOE’s authority over determining if LNG exports are in the public interest. LCV will strongly consider including this vote in our 2024 National Environmental Scorecard. If you would like more information, please reach out to a member of our government relations team.

Sincerely,

Gene Karpinski

President