The U.S. is the world's biggest supplier of natural gas. Why is Biden pumping the brakes on exports?

What’s happening

President Biden announced a pause late last month in the approval process on proposed projects that allow America to export more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to other nations. The Department of Energy, Biden said, would take a “hard look” at the impact the country’s rapidly expanding natural gas exports have on the economy and on climate change.

It’s unclear how much of an impact the pause will ultimately have on the amount of gas the U.S. exports in the long run, but Biden’s decision has sparked fierce debate — with even some of his fellow Democrats condemning the move as a self-inflicted economic mistake.

Like all fossil fuels, natural gas releases climate-warming emissions when burned. But it is much “cleaner” than some other energy sources, particularly coal, which releases about twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to produce the same amount of energy. That’s only true, though, when it’s burned. The raw form of natural gas, methane, is an incredibly potent greenhouse gas that is known to leak from drill sites, pipelines and processing plants.

Over the past 15 years, the U.S. has doubled its natural gas production. That boom started under former President Barack Obama, who viewed natural gas as a “bridge fuel” that could allow the country to cut back on the most harmful fossil fuels while building up green energy alternatives like wind and solar. Production ramped up even more during Donald Trump’s presidency, a time when American-made energy took priority over environmental concerns.

Natural gas has replaced coal as the country’s No. 1 source of electricity and it now supplies twice as much power in the U.S. as any other fuel. The shift from coal to natural gas is a major reason that the U.S. has been able to cut its overall CO2 emissions over the past 15 years. But it has also been connected to environmental contamination and severe health issues around drilling sites and pipelines.

Until 2011 the U.S. had never shipped natural gas to other countries. Today it’s the world’s biggest natural gas exporter, and its export capacity is expected to double over the next three years thanks to in-progress projects that won’t be affected by Biden’s pause. Most American LNG ends up in Europe, but new routes that will allow the U.S. to increase its exports to Asia are expected to come online as soon as next year.

Gas can’t be shipped abroad in its natural form; it has to be cooled to incredibly low temperatures until it becomes liquefied natural gas — a process that consumes an enormous amount of energy.

Why there’s debate

Biden’s pause on new LNG export projects was celebrated as a small step in the right direction by environmental groups that have long argued that natural gas is not a “lesser evil.” These climate activists say that if the president truly does believe that climate change is the “existential threat of our time,” then he should be leading the way on a rapid transition to green energy, not helping other nations continue their reliance on fuels that are contributing to global warming.

Republicans and fossil fuel industry groups counter that America’s natural gas dominance is a massive global advantage that should be expanded. A Trump campaign spokeswoman accused Biden of “cav[ing] to the radical demands of the environmental extremists” by making a choice that will “undermine America’s economic and national security.” The former president, who has called climate change a hoax, has pledged to “drill, drill, drill” for fossil fuels if he returns to office.

Some moderates from both sides of the aisle criticized Biden’s move, saying that while climate change is a serious issue, the potential economic damage of phasing out natural gas exports is simply too great. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia released a statement saying that climate gains should not come “at the expense of American workers, businesses, and our allies in need.”

Some researchers have even made the case that Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas exports could ultimately cause unintended harm to the climate. U.S. trade partners are likely to replace American LNG with fuels like coal, or import gas from countries that have far more destructive production practices than the U.S., they argue. But other experts believe progress on green energy means that the need for a “bridge fuel” is quickly coming to an end and it’s a mistake to keep spending billions on ramping up our ability to meet demand that may disappear in the near future.

What’s next

Many political pundits have framed Biden’s pause on natural gas export projects as an attempt to court climate-conscious young votersdissatisfied with his performance on the issue so far. It remains to be seen whether this decision will have any impact on their views on the president before November’s election.

Perspectives

Gas has made America greener. It can do the same for the rest of the world

“The largest single reason for the decline in U.S. carbon emissions in the past several years is the switch from coal to natural gas for electricity generation. Making [natural gas] exports more difficult hinders the ability of other countries to make that switch.” — Editorial, National Review

Gas can’t be a bridge without a real plan for getting to the other side

“A transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions will require a commitment to actually shift away from fossil fuel.” — Emily Grubert, Conversation

Biden is letting far-left activists drive the U.S. energy industry into a ditch

“An administration that takes its directives from TikTok activists will not be seen as a legitimate force on environmental issues. These policies should be rooted in facts and outcomes, not in intentions along the way.” — Stephen Perkins, Washington Examiner

The value of natural gas depends entirely on what it’s replacing

“Make no mistake, meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement ... requires winding down our use of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. ... But it’s not the case that in all possible worlds, continuing or even expanding natural gas production and exports would actually be worse for the climate.” — Matthew Zeitlin, Heatmap

Demand for more and more gas around the world simply isn’t there

“Europe does not need more gas. ... Some of the gas Europe is importing goes to ... MAKING PLASTIC. You heard that right, folks. We do not need to poison American communities so Europe can make more plastic.” — Leah Stokes, professor of climate and energy policy at UC Santa Barbara

The need for a bridge fuel is quickly evaporating

“While natural gas has provided a bridge away from coal in the US, it is a bridge that is quickly reaching its end, as the number of remaining coal plants rapidly shrinks and the falling cost of renewables makes them an increasingly large driver of power sector decarbonization.” — Zeke Hausfather, Breakthrough Institute

Natural gas is just as dirty as any other fossil fuel

“Yes, big oil and gas companies have successfully deluded some into believing that LNG is a beneficial ‘transition’ fuel, but that’s literally a dirty lie.” — Roishetta Ozane and Bekah Hinojosa, Houston Chronicle

It’s too late to do things gradually; we need radical change right away

“The world is no longer committed to marginal, fractional improvement in emissions; net-zero pledges require moving everyone as quickly as possible to cheap renewable energy.” — Lennox Yearwood and Bill McKibben, Los Angeles Times

The free market, not governments, should decide what fuels we use

“Economics aside, what business does the federal government have in dictating the direction of an industry that delivers a product that so many people find valuable? ... People here and abroad want to use that energy.” — Travis Fisher, Cato Institute

American natural gas props up the U.S. economy and protects freedom around the world

“It seems to me that we have a real long-term interest in telling allies in Europe and also beyond Europe that, ‘If you need this energy, if you need natural gas, we would be more than happy to sell it to you.’ That will be good for American jobs. ... And it will be good for the free world, to use that term, if we don’t have to rely on countries like Russia for their energy exports.” — Kyle Peterson, Wall Street Journal