In contrast with the Biden-Harris administration, the Trump-Vance administration is embracing natural gas projects and fast-tracking their approval.
On March 5th, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the approval of an extension permit for Golden Pass Liquidified Natural Gas (LNG) Terminal LLC, currently being constructed in Texas. Secretary Chris Wright’s agency said LNG projects like Golden Pass, once completed, are aligned with the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda and will “restore regular order to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export reviews.”
“Exporting U.S. LNG supports American jobs, bolsters our national security and strengthens America’s position as a world energy leader. President Trump has pledged to restore energy dominance for the American people, and I am proud to help deliver on that agenda with today’s permit extension,” Secretary Wright said in an official statement.
Golden Pass is the third LNG project undertaken by the new administration. The first LNG export approval of the second Trump administration came on February 14th with the proposed Commonwealth LNG project in Louisiana. A second order, issued on February 28th, reverses a Biden-era rule that limited LNG to be used as marine fuel to power vessels at JAX LNG in Jacksonville, FL.
During his Joint Address before Congress on Tuesday, President Trump also floated a likely natural gas project, Alaska LNG, in the Last Frontier’s North Slope.
The LNG embrace runs in stark contrast to a year ago, when the Biden-Harris administration paused new LNG export terminal projects on the grounds that these energy infrastructure projects weren’t climate-friendly. As I noted in the Washington Examiner in February 2024, LNG projects are of “public interest”—especially for national security purposes:
By pausing future LNG projects, the Biden administration essentially ceded this source of energy to adversaries such as Russia and Iran who boast poor environmental and human rights track records. For instance, the U.S. was supplying European allies with LNG to help them cut their reliance on Russian oil and gas in the wake of the country’s rogue invasion of Ukraine. One European Union official remarked in September 2023: “We will need some fossil molecules in the system over the coming couple of decades. And in that context, there will be a need for American energy.” Naturally, the news of Biden’s LNG permitting suspension isn’t being positively received in Europe.
The European Union (EU), struggling to ditch Russian energy imports, is expected to purchase more American LNG to cut its reliance on the rogue nation. The 27-member union is also expected to relax its onerous environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and climate regulations to appease our nation.
Emissions reductions in the U.S. can be attributed to increased natural gas production, not net-zero climate policies. On Day One, the Trump administration announced a pivot from net-zero climate posturing to an energy policy prioritizing abundant, reliable, and secure energy sources—namely oil, gas, coal, and nuclear energy.
Unlike the Biden administration, the Trump-led Energy and Interior Departments believe LNG projects are in the public interest—especially to help meet growing electricity demand from artificial intelligence (AI)-powered data centers.
To learn about natural gas projects, go HERE.