AEA Submits Comments to DOE on Proposed Changes to Liquefied Natural Gas Export Decisions

WASHINGTON, DC – July 21, 2014 – America’s Energy Advantage (AEA) today submitted comments regarding the Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposed changes to liquefied natural gas export decisions.   

“The changes proposed by the Department of Energy to the LNG export review process must continue to be guided by what is in the public interest of all Americans. The public interest test is the very center of the Natural Gas Act. Yet the Department of Energy has yet to define the underlying standards that the Department is using to assess whether proposed LNG exports are in the public interest,” wrote America’s Energy Advantage. 

The coalition welcomed DOE’s plans to commission a new economic study noting that it “should be conducted by an independent panel of experts. It should examine all relevant factors which may affect supply, demand and price, including data that has been ignored to date – the utility sector’s increasing reliance on natural gas, the transportation sector’s growing trend of fuel switching and the manufacturing sector’s growth and increasing demand projections.

AEA also asked The Department to initiate “a public process to determine appropriate criteria to determine public interest.” 

In conclusion, AEA argued: “The overarching policy goal should be to broadly optimize outcomes for the nation as a whole, from the American consumer to the various sectors of the economy and, at a minimum, to reflect income effects, job creation and value-added inputs to the economy from production and investment.”

About America's Energy Advantage

America’s Energy Advantage (AEA) is a trade association representing many of the world’s leading manufacturers and commodity producers, as well as the United States’ publicly-owned natural gas distribution companies. Our organization is a strong supporter of rules-based free trade and believes that open markets create new opportunities for economic growth and higher standards of living for all Americans. AEA is dedicated to educating the American public about the growth in American manufacturing that has been made possible by our country's abundant and affordable supply of natural gas.

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