Huffman, Merkley, Reed, Grijalva, Casten Write to Energy Secretary Wright with Concerns about New LNG Exports

New exports will hurt American households and businesses

March 13, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02), U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06), U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) led 40 Members of Congress to send a letter to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright expressing concerns regarding new liquified natural gas (LNG) exports. The lawmakers demanded Secretary Wright deny export authorizations for LNG exports that will raise energy prices on American families and businesses and fuel climate chaos. Last month alone, the Trump administration reversed President Biden’s pause on LNG exports and approved two new LNG export facilities – Commonwealth LNG and Golden Pass LNG– just the first of many projects that will harm the planet and domestic economy.

“On his first day in office, President Trump issued an executive order directing DOE to resume consideration of pending LNG export applications based on ‘the economic and employment impacts to the United States and the impact to the security of allies and partners.’ However, DOE already completed analysis on the economic and employment impacts of LNG exports on December 17, 2024, and the conclusions are clear,” the lawmakers wrote.

They continued, “This analysis, meant to inform how DOE makes public interest determinations for new LNG export approvals as required under the Natural Gas Act, concluded that LNG exports lead to higher energy prices for both American families and businesses. Indeed, DOE’s analysis found that unconstrained exports of U.S. LNG will raise wholesale domestic natural gas prices by over 30% and increase costs for the average American household by up to $122 per year by 2050. These impacts not only undermine economic stability, but also threaten job security in energy-intensive sectors.”

“DOE’s analysis shows that continuing to authorize LNG exports is not in the public interest. The U.S. is already the world’s largest exporter of LNG and is on track to reach record levels of exports in 2025, including under projects approved during the Biden Administration. We don’t need to further expand exports to fuel the economies of our adversaries while harming consumers in the U.S. Already under President Trump, inflation has risen, energy prices have increased, and grocery costs, particularly eggs, have grown rapidly. The Administration should not add to this burden,” the lawmakers concluded.

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Peter Welch (D-VT) and U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), Ro Khanna (D-CA-17), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL-03), Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Kevin Mullin (D-CA-15), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Seth Magaziner (D-RI-02), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-07), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-10), Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (D-NC-12), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01), Dina Titus (D-NV-01), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Valerie P. Foushee (D-NC-04), Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Betty McCollum (D-MN-04), Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Chellie Pingree (D-ME-01), Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08), Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-07), Gil Cisneros (D-CA-31), Mike Quigley (D-IL-05), James P. McGovern (D-MA-02), and Diana DeGette (D-CO-01).

Read the full text of the letter here.

 

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