The State of Texas has sued the Biden administration to prevent President Biden and the Department of Energy from halting applications to export liquid natural gas.
“On January 26, 2024, President Biden and the Department of Energy decided to stop all new approvals of LNG exports to non-Free-Trade-Agreement countries effective immediately—what the media has termed the ‘LNG Export Ban,’” reads the lawsuit, filed yesterday.
“This ban disregards statutory mandates, flouts the normal regulatory process, upends the industry, disrupts Plaintiffs’ economies, and subverts our constitutional structure,” it continues. “These unlawful actions leave Plaintiffs with no choice but to once more turn to the courts to enforce the law.”
In a press release yesterday, Attorney General Ken Paxton said that Biden’s LNG exports ban will simultaneously upend the oil and gas industry and disrupt Texas’ economy.
“The ban will drive billions of dollars in investment away from Texas, hinder our ability to maximize revenue for public schools, force Texas producers to flare excess natural gas instead of taking it to market and annihilate critical jobs. I will not stand by while Biden attacks Texas,” said Paxton.
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming all joined Texas in the lawsuit.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham also joined the lawsuit against the Biden administration—saying that the ban on LNG exports will lead further away from true energy independence.
“From our wide-open southern border to this latest move to kneecap our economy, it’s clear that our state, our commerce, and our families are in the crosshairs of the current administration. I will always stand up for the prosperity of Texas and Texans, even if that means taking the Biden Administration to court,” Buckingham stated.
This follows another lawsuit Paxton filed against the Biden administration on March 8 to halt a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency aiming to slash up to 58 million tons of methane emissions by the year 2038.
