Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Thursday that Texas has joined 15 other states in a lawsuit to prevent the Biden administration from implementing a ban on approving applications for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
The lawsuit asserts that the federal government does not possess the authority to extensively deny those permits.
President Joe Biden announced a temporary pause on projects aiming to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe and Asia, where there is a significant demand for this fuel. The purpose of this pause is to thoroughly assess the economic and environmental implications of these projects.
The future of over a dozen LNG export terminals planned for the Gulf of Mexico coast is now at risk due to the pause, according to experts. This has raised concerns among environmentalist groups and some local residents.
According to one analysis, if all the proposed gas export projects were to transport gas to other countries, they would generate 3.2 billion tons of greenhouse gases. This amount is equivalent to the total emissions of the European Union.
“When he announced the pause in January, Biden emphasized that this temporary halt on new LNG approvals recognizes the climate crisis for what it truly is: an existential threat of our time.”
Louisiana has also filed a lawsuit against the ban, asserting that it will have negative consequences on the economy and disrupt the ongoing efforts to provide European allies with a consistent supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The region is actively striving to reduce its reliance on piped natural gas from Russia, and this ban could hinder those efforts.
Texas holds the distinction of being the top producer of both crude oil and natural gas in the United States.
According to the Texas lawsuit, Paxton stated that Biden’s unilateral decree not only ignores statutory mandates but also undermines the legal process. Furthermore, it has significant repercussions on the oil and gas industry, disrupts the Texas economy, and undermines the very foundation of our constitutional structure.
“The ban will have a detrimental impact on Texas, causing billions of dollars in investment to be diverted elsewhere. Moreover, it will hinder our efforts to generate maximum revenue for public schools and compel Texas producers to resort to flaring excess natural gas rather than bringing it to the market. This, in turn, will lead to the loss of critical jobs.”
