AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Monday appointed a select committee of state lawmakers to address the White House’s temporary pause on approving new exports of liquified natural gas.
“President Biden’s abrupt decision earlier this year to pause pending approvals of LNG export projects will likely have significant economic implications for Texas, and it is important we fully understand what a prolonged pause would mean for our state’s thriving energy sector,” Speaker Phelan wrote on X. “I’ve created the House Select Committee on Protecting Texas LNG Exports to examine the potential impacts to the state a prolong pause would create and ways to mitigate any negative consequences on the LNG industry, the state’s energy sector and our Texas economy.”
The committee, chaired by Frisco Republican Jared Patterson, is directed to analyze the anticipated economic and environmental impacts of the pause and determine what recourse the state may have.
In January, the Biden administration announced it will pause pending decisions on LNG exports to give the Department of Energy time to review its standards for those approvals. The White House explained the Department’s current economic and environmental analyses “no longer adequately account for” potential increases in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
“We also must adequately guard against risks to the health of our communities, especially frontline communities in the United States who disproportionately shoulder the burden of pollution from new export facilities,” the White House said. “The pause, which is subject to exception for unanticipated and immediate national security emergencies, will provide the time to integrate these critical considerations.”
Last week, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit with 15 other states to block the administration’s pause.
“Biden’s unilateral decree disregards statutory mandates, flouts the legal process, upends the oil and gas industry, disrupts the Texas economy, and subverts our constitutional structure,” said Attorney General Paxton.
That lawsuit drew criticism from environmental groups, who argue the pause will result in a more thorough permitting process and protect local communities from pollution.
“This lawsuit is misguided and lacks understanding of what the pause actually is,” Sierra Club Senior Attorney Nathan Matthews said. “The U.S. is the world’s largest exporter of LNG, and this pause does nothing to disrupt the already massive amount of US-sourced methane gas being sent all over the world
Speaker Phelan directed the select committee to submit an initial report by May 13. The 89th legislature may act on recommendations with legislative proposals when lawmakers convene in January 2025.