The US can ‘step up’ and provide more energy to the world, CEO says
Lifting U.S. regulations on liquefied natural gas exports could help alleviate Europe’s dependence on Russian gas, the head of a liquefied natural gas trade association told Fox Business.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused gas prices to soar and has European nations reconsidering their long-standing reliance on Russian oil and gas. President Biden announced Tuesday a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, which he said targets the “main artery of Russia’s economy.”
The U.S. could help ween Europe off of Russian energy by exporting more liquefied natural gas, US LNG Association CEO and President Frank H. Hutchinson told Fox Business.
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The US can ‘step up’ and provide more energy to the world, CEO says
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“Europe depends on Russia for about 40% of its natural gas,” Hutchinson said. “That’s delivered from pipelines that go back to the Soviet era.”
“U.S. [liquefied natural gas] has brought competition to the region,” he continued. “It’s helped countries like Poland and Lithuania – both of which had almost 100% dependence on Russian gas – reduce that dependence.”
A Freeway Propane facility in Springville, Utah, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Staying warm this winter in the country will come at a higher cost this year along with most other consumer expenses as heating oil, natural gas and other fuels surge
“Right now, the world is short on oil, the world is short on gas,” the CEO said.
“We have got plenty of it,” Hutchinson said. “And there’s a lot more that can be done
As the U.S. government considers lifting sanctions on Venezuela to import more energy, the U.S. should work to remove production and export limitations to help domestic and global markets, according to the CEO.
FILE – In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro speaks at a press conference at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela. The Trump administration will announce Thursday, March 26, 2020, indictments aga
“There’s been a leasing pause that the administration has put in place, and there are permitting issues and other factors that are limiting production,” Hutchinson said. “Remove those obstacles, get production up.”
The U.S. Department of Energy regulates how much liquefied natural gas is exported, putting a ceiling on how much can be sent to European countries, including Ukraine.
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“The federal government sets a ceiling on how much gas can be exported from the United States,” Hutchinson said, noting that other energy commodities don’t face such caps.
Many pipelines carrying gas from Russia to Europe flow through Ukraine, but the market reflects conditions that began before the war, according to Hutchinson.
“The world has been short on natural gas really since the recovery kicked in from COVID back last fall,” Hutchinson told Fox Business. “So even before all of this war in Ukraine, there were really tight markets.”
