The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Thursday, November 20, 2025

In January 2024, the Biden Administration announced they would be halting approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, despite previous studies showing that American LNG exports create net public benefits, protect global energy security, create American jobs, and reduce emissions. 

This disastrous decision was a blatant political ploy to satisfy radical climate activists dead set on shutting down American energy production, even though banning LNG exports only increases our dependency on hostile foreign adversaries. It also severely harms our national security, discouraging foreign investment in American LNG production and empowering Russia and Iran to influence LNG prices on the global stage.

Thankfully, the Trump Administration has been working to undo the damage done by the Biden Administration, issuing at least three final LNG export authorizations, and U.S. developers have made final investment decisions on six LNG export projects worth more than $70 billion. 

Currently, anyone wanting to import or export U.S. natural gas must get multiple permits, obtaining first approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to construct, operate, and expand the LNG facility, and second authorization from the Department of Energy (DOE) to import or export natural gas to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries. 

We must continue encouraging American energy production and providing our allies with a secure energy source, not making it harder to export American energy with burdensome bureaucracy. House Republicans are bringing legislation to streamline the export permitting process, unleash domestic production and exports, and protect our national security.

Rep. August Pfluger’s legislation, H.R. 1949, the Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act, lifts restrictions on the import and export of natural gas and streamlines the permitting process by getting rid of the requirement for the DOE to authorize exports and giving FERC total authority over the approval process, facilitating American energy dominance and lowering costs.

Will Democrats once again put radical climate activists above the energy security and economic prosperity of the American people, or will they stand with us in our fight to lower energy costs for workers and families?

Global demand for liquid fuels is increasing, with demand expected to rise by about 20 million barrels per day by 2050 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). However, under the Biden Administration’s anti-American energy policies and crushing regulations, refineries and America’s refining capacity have suffered.

From 2020 to 2022, the number of U.S. refineries – which are crucial for American energy security, converting crude oil into vital petroleum products and fueling our nation – declined from 135 to 128 and refinery capacity decreased by more than one million barrels of fuel per day. This has resulted in increased refining dependency on foreign nations.

We cannot continue to rely on foreign supplies and risk American energy and national security to appease radical environmentalists. U.S. refineries are vital to our energy independence and to providing the fuels that power America. 

House Republicans are bringing legislation to require the National Petroleum Council to study and collect essential information on the role petrochemical refineries play in America and examine opportunities to expand our refinery capacity while identifying risks to refineries.

H.R. 3109, the Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining (REFINER) Act, introduced by Rep. Bob Latta, bolsters U.S. energy security, reliability, and affordability by requiring the National Petroleum Council to study opportunities and provide recommendations to expand American refining capacity.

House Republicans won’t stop working to bolster America’s energy security by unleashing domestic production and ensuring an abundance of affordable and reliable energy in the U.S.