With unemployment at around 8
percent, exporting domestic gas would seem to be a no-brainer. In June, a study by the Yale Graduates Energy Study Group found that the shale-gas surplus had contributed over $100 bil- lion to the U.S. economy in 2010 alone. But that hasn’t kept environmental groups and self-interested natural-gas users from trying to block the con- struction of LNG export facilities. In August, a bipartisan congres-
ment aff airs for the Western Energy Alliance, tells Newsmax. Energy companies want to sell their abundant natural gas to energy-thirsty countries in Europe and beyond. And Europe pays big. EU countries
pay about $11 per million BTU, much of which is imported from Russia. In the United States, the price is about $2 per million BTU. With its price advan- tage, America could dominate key markets around the globe — if only the Obama administration would allow the free market to work, critics claim.
sional group of 10 Democrats and 34 Republicans sent a letter to U.S. Ener- gy Secretary Steven Chu asking him to break through the export-applica- tion logjam. They wrote that the DOE review process appeared to lack “a sense of urgency.” That may stem from the staunch opposition of environmentalists. The EPA is conducting a study, expect- ed to be completed in 2014, to deter- mine whether fracking is safe. But pro-energy sources warn that while the research continues, Canada and Australia are aggressively pressing for- ward with their plans to export LNG. In December, pro-environmental
forces were stunned when the DOE reported what many felt was obvi- ous: Exporting natural gas would be a major benefi t to the U.S. economy. Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement,
“It is baffl ing that this report omits the serious threats increased fracking and gas production pose to our water, our air, and the health of our families.” Thomas Pyle, president of the
Institute for Energy Research, says the DOE’s fi ndings should come as no surprise. “Exporting American-made
“Exporting American-made products always creates U.S. jobs and economic growth.”
— Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research
products always creates U.S. jobs and economic growth.” The DOE is expected to face more
pressure than ever this year to let LNG exports move forward. Cheniere’s new terminal is expect-
ed to begin exports as early as 2015. “We are at no risk of running out of natural gas,” says Pyle, “especially if the federal government ends its de facto moratorium on development of new areas.”
Marita Noon is executive director of both Citizens’ Alliance for Responsible Energy and Energy Makes America Great Inc.
U.S. Gas May Undermine Russia’s Dominance F
ormer New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who supports exports and served as energy secretary under former
President Bill Clinton, issued an endorsement of natural gas exports in January, saying the exports would bolster U.S. allies. “What we are off ering the international community and our
friends by exporting natural gas is a form of energy security,” Richardson said in January, according to a Reuters report. In January 2009, Russia’s Gazprom state-owned monopoly
cut off natural gas supplies to the Ukraine during a price dispute. Unfortunately, that also shut off supplies to European nations as well in the dead of winter. They were literally left out in the cold. Richardson said U.S. exports would provide alternative energy sources to America’s European allies.
Michael Economides, a global energy expert and author of From
Soviet to Putin and Back, tells Newsmax: “What Brezhnev and Khrushchev were
not able to do with nuclear weapons, Vladimir
Putin has been able to do with oil and gas in what could arguably be called energy imperialism.” Presently, 25 European countries depend on Russia for more than 75 percent of their oil and gas. This means that any relief from American exports would lessen Russia’s dominance.
American natural gas would also give India an alternative
to Iranian exports. Of course, that assumes the construction of export terminals moves forward. — M.N.
MARCH 2013 | NEWSMAX 17 RICHARDSON
RICHARDSON/WANG ZHAO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
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