SCALISE: Biden's LNG action will kill Louisiana jobs

From day one, the Biden administration set out to crush American energy. As a result of President Biden’s failed policies, we’ve seen skyrocketing energy prices here at home and emboldened enemies around the world.

The proof is there. President Joe Biden has done everything in his power to shut down offshore exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico. He canceled the Keystone XL pipeline with the stroke of a pen while greenlighting Vladimir Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

He drained nearly half of America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve for political purposes, and now his decision to halt liquefied natural gas export projects only further weakens our economic and national security. This decision is the most recent example of the White House caving to radical climate extremists and putting politics over what is best for our country.From day one, the Biden administration set out to crush American energy. As a result of President Biden’s failed policies, we’ve seen skyrocketing energy prices here at home and emboldened enemies around the world.

The proof is there. President Joe Biden has done everything in his power to shut down offshore exploration and development in the Gulf of Mexico. He canceled the Keystone XL pipeline with the stroke of a pen while greenlighting Vladimir Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

He drained nearly half of America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve for political purposes, and now his decision to halt liquefied natural gas export projects only further weakens our economic and national security. This decision is the most recent example of the White House caving to radical climate extremists and putting politics over what is best for our country.

Unfortunately, the latest attack on American energy comes not by a law or executive order but from a press release where President Biden announced that he is effectively banning new natural gas export projects — including projects here in Louisiana.

It is outrageous and not driven by science or common sense.

Once again, this administration has sidestepped the law and caved to the extreme left at the expense of hard-working families.

In Louisiana, we know the importance of reliable energy. Our state is at the heart of making the United States one of the world’s largest suppliers of LNG. Since 2015, the U.S. has increased our LNG export capacity from zero to 11.6 billion cubic feet per day while maintaining a stable and affordable price here at home.

In fact, Louisiana families enjoy significant benefits from our LNG industry with roughly 18,000 jobs, $4.4 billion in economic impact contributions, and $178 million in tax revenue to Louisiana alone.

Many in Louisiana and across the nation are wondering why President Biden would choose to shut down projects here at home when we make it cleaner, more efficient, and at a dramatically lower cost than anywhere else in the world.

The public is fed up with this kind of reckless policy. To stand up for American energy and the impacts on Louisiana’s economy, I recently joined more than 150 other members of Congress to demand the administration reverse this devastating policy.

What’s more, these attacks on American-made energy have dire consequences not just here at home, but for our allies abroad. Not only does this decision jeopardize American economic growth, American jobs, and American energy security, but it risks cutting off energy supplies to our allies in Europe when they need it the most, while emboldening hostile nations like Russia and Iran.

This decision is surely a welcomed gift for countries who don’t share our values and who oftentimes act counter to American interests. In fact, this is one of several decisions to undercut American energy that has given leverage to adversaries like Putin.

Instead, we should be doubling down on American energy production and LNG exports and aiding our allies abroad to counter bad actors around the world.

Enough is enough.

To once again unleash American energy and reverse this bad policy, the House passed the Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act to immediately undo this harmful de facto ban on American LNG exports.

It is simply unconscionable for President Biden to continue these attacks on American energy; Louisiana, our nation, and the world are all watching.

Steve Scalise is the majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. He has served in Congress since 2008, representing Louisiana's 1st Congressional District.