Trump issued the executive order, which was widely expected, just hours after officially taking over his second four-year term as the president.
The move is part of a series of new energy actions as part of the order named “unleashing American energy.”
According to the order, the energy secretary is directed to restart reviews of applications for approvals of LNG projects as “expeditiously as possible, consistent with applicable law.”
“In assessing the “public interest” to be advanced by any particular application, the secretary of energy shall consider the economic and employment impacts to the United States and the impact to the security of allies and partners that would result from granting the application,” the order said.
The Trump administration will also prioritize the development of Alaska’s LNG potential, including the permitting of all necessary pipeline and export infrastructure, the White House said in a separate statement.
US energy firm Glenfarne recently signed a deal with state-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to develop the latter’s giant Alaska LNG export project.
Resuming consideration of all applications
The Biden administration said in January 2024 it will pause pending decisions on exports of LNG to non-FTA countries until DOE can update the underlying analyses for authorizations.
Last month, the DOE released its study on the economic and climate impacts of exporting increasing volumes of LNG from the US.
The DOE established February 18, 2025, as the deadline for public comments of the study.
However, to ensure such public interest determinations receive appropriate stakeholder input, the Department is extending the comment period from February 18, 2025, to March 20, 2025, it said in a statement on Tuesday announcing the end of the LNG pause and return to regular order.
“Notwithstanding the goal of expeditious determinations, the importance of appropriate administrative records justifies an extension of the period for public comment,” the DOE said.
Also, the DOE said that acting DOE secretary Ingrid Kolb has directed the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) to return to regular order and resume consideration of all applications.
“This process should occur simultaneously with the multi-agency NEPA review process to streamline and reduce inefficiencies in the regulatory process,” it said.
LNG projects
The lifting of the new moratorium will benefit several US LNG export projects.
These include Kimmeridge’s Commonwealth LNG project in Cameron, Louisiana, and Venture Global LNG’s CP2 project in Louisiana.
Moreover, the projects include Cheniere Energy’s Sabine Pass Stage 5 expansion project and Energy Transfer’s Lake Charles LNG export terminal.
Sempra Infrastructure, a unit of Sempra, is also working to secure DOE’s non-FTA export approval for the second phase of its Port Arthur LNG export project in Texas.
(Updated with a statement by the Department of Energy.)
