Republican leaders on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee have accused the Biden administration of concealing a 2023 internal study that would have made its moratorium on natural gas projects unnecessary, therefore clearing the path to further push its anti-fossil agenda.
The administration halted permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects in January 2024, citing the need for a federal study on the environmental, economic, and national security impacts of such projects. That study, according to federal officials, was not expected to be completed until early 2025, effectively pausing several major fossil fuel projects.
However, in a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Republican lawmakers claim there is evidence that the Department of Energy (DOE) had already conducted the study months before the moratorium was implemented. They also allege that the agency has resisted efforts to release the study.
In a statement reported by The Washington Free Beacon, Government Accountability & Oversight attorney Chris Horner labeled the Department of Energy's actions as a "full-blown scandal" adding his take on the reasoning behind the cover up:
"This confirms our information that the purported rationale for this reckless January 2024 'pause' on further natural gas exports was a fabrication: the study was already performed in 2023 and was spiked. This administration did not spike the study because it supported their desired strangulation of fossil energy. The information that led us to this inquiry was, in fact, that the study was spiked because it surprised the administration by once again touting the benefits of natural gas exports."
The allegations stem from a June 2023 request by the Government Accountability & Oversight group seeking federal studies on natural gas exports. After filing a lawsuit against the DOE for failing to respond, court filings revealed that the agency had identified 97 documents totaling over 4,300 pages related to the request.
Despite this, the DOE did not release the documents, claiming it found no "final" study, though the request had not specifically asked for finalized reports.
A study by the American Petroleum Institute projected that natural gas exports could contribute $73 billion to the U.S. economy by 2040 and create over 450,000 jobs. However, environmentalist groups have pointed out that the main component of natural gas is methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide in the short term.
Additionally, they warn that liquified natural gas terminals will be operational for decades, even as top climate scientists say humanity must rapidly phase out fossil fuels to avert catastrophic warming.
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