Biden's LNG limbo ... is now in limbo
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A Louisiana federal judge has blocked the White House pause on new LNG export licenses to major markets, but the on-the-ground effects of the order are pretty hazy for now.
Why it matters: The injunction Monday is a victory for attorneys general in 16 GOP-led states and industry groups battling the pause, which Biden officials announced in January to weigh the economic and climate effects of surging exports.
- It calls the pause "completely without reason or logic."
The intrigue: The decision from district Judge James Cain Jr. is a legal smackdown, but don't expect new permits to start flowing yet.
- Attorney Craig Segall with the climate group Evergreen Action said the Natural Gas Act doesn't set a deadline on federal permit decisions.
- "The statute just says 'expeditious.' Moving expeditiously but rationally on these complex public interest questions could and should take months or longer, pause or no pause," he said via email.
State of play: Cain found many counts are likely to succeed on the merits.
- Louisiana AG Liz Murrill applauded the order in a statement: "LNG has an enormous and positive impact on Louisiana, supplying clean energy for the entire world, and providing good jobs here at home."
- Cain — a Donald Trump appointee — in 2022 ruled that the Biden administration couldn't use the social cost of carbon as a metric for carbon emissions. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that action.
The other side: The Energy Department said it disagrees with the ruling and is evaluating next steps.
- The White House said it's disappointed, noting U.S. LNG exports — already the world's largest — are slated to grow sharply this decade regardless.
- The administration is "committed" to decisions based on strong environmental and economic analysis, it said.
What we're watching: The next phase of the legal battle — and the election, given Donald Trump's pledge to immediately resume permitting.
