Biden’s LNG Decision Sparks Political Controversy and Climate Activism

US President Joe Biden
US President Joe Biden,

United States – On Friday, the Biden Administration’s decision to suspend pending Department of Energy permits for brand-new liquified natural gas, or LNG, export terminals is creating a lot of disinformation.

Political Polarization over LNG Policy

A large portion of this misinformation originates from the Republican faction and the fossil fuel industry. However, some Democrats and environmental groups are guilty of stretching the truth as well. Republicans are blaming the decision for the poor economy and energy insecurity, and Democrats are just appreciating the benefits of the climate, as reported by HEATED.

Members from both the Republican and Democratic camps are exaggerating the importance of this move to cater for their respective electorates and cause agitations within the country. At this point, the Democrats are attempting to rally up their members to vote for Biden later this year, and in turn, the Republicans wish to build dissent amongst the conservatives against Biden.

Although it’s all to be expected, nobody is really learning the truth about what’s going on. Here is a clear explanation of Biden’s new LNG policy without any political jargon.

Truth Behind Biden’s LNG Decision

Visual Representation of LNG. Credit | Getty images

First thing first: In the same line, the Biden Administration did not ban the exportation of LNG to other countries or even halt the building of new LNG export facilities.

Existing LNG facilities in the United States are unscathed now. The already existing eight LNG export terminals in the country will remain to be leading the way. The flow of fossil fuels towards international markets is likely to continue.

The flow of U.S. LNG to other regions will both continue and increase in volume. Among the ten approved LNG export terminals revoked by the Energy Department, it is not a new one. Therefore, when these facilities are completed, the US exporting LNG to various countries is forecasted to double by 2028.

Here’s what the Biden Administration actually did: It forcibly suspended granting Department of Energy approval for any proposed new LNG export terminal.

In fact, that’s a bit of a tongue twister, so you probably won’t see it in captions and social media posts. Besides that, you will find phrases such as, “Biden bans the LNG export” and “White House takes steps for the stop of fossil fuels.”

It might seem obvious, but the simplified narrative lines can generate a sense that the White House did more than it actually did. As the only LNG complexes that would be subject to this rule are those that the fossil fuel companies have stated they plan to build and have not yet obtained DOE permission to start, it will have little effect on the area’s people.

Of course, the overall numbers are still high. At least six LNG export terminals that are being planned have been held back by the moratorium. If the Biden administration had not issued this pause, it would have kept these projects away from the normal DOE approval process and, according to the Guardian, ensured future emissions of 317 coal plants worth of greenhouse gases.

Impact on Proposed Projects

Hence, climate activists are over the moon, and it is something worth celebrating. However, due to their push, the White House now promises to revise the permit-issuance process within the DOE with emphasis on the most current and, therefore, best climate, economic, and security science. Simply put, it would mean that fossil fuel companies may not get automatic, rubber-stamped approval for building new LNG infrastructure for the Gulf of Mexico.

The crux of the matter is that, in that phrase, the keyword is could. However, the truth is that the break remains a question mark; the new DOE approval scheme is unknown, and the neighborhood of projects accepted and rejected is all uncertain. As Bloomberg aptly noted on Sunday: “With his reelection, there is no guarantee that the process will be allowed to continue as Biden might not until such a time as he is safely back at office for another four years.”

For the climate-concerned readers here (which I assume is most of you), I want to emphasize that I don’t say so to undervalue the achievements of activists, and every person who has taken a stance against institutionalized inequalities is a major factor in this fight! Here I am addressing you to make the right impression and not to use the words that give a hackneyed sign that this fight is over with, or the greenhouse gases have been permanently prevented from reaching the atmosphere.

Yes, a single battleground has been won—and it would have never been a battle at all if it had Trump, or any other Republican, as its president. Yes, it means more is also feasible on this issue under Biden. And this is most likely among the most important things any U.S. president has ever done to confront the fossil fuel sector, as reported by HEATED.

However, this deal is not a demonstration of the “acting with the urgency [the climate crisis] demands to protect the future for generations to come,” as the White House claimed on Friday. Nowadays, such a goal is still the route. Whether it has happened or not is still uncertain. And unless you Maintain the pressure, it Might just fade away.