On Friday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm stated that the pause in liquid natural gas (LNG) export approvals might actually be a pause on exports that are actually beneficial to the environment because LNG can replace far dirtier coal.
Granholm stated, “[W]e just need to update the data associated with the factors. So, the factors are, does this impact — what is the impact on national security, what is the impact on foreign policy, what is the impact — in other words, our allies and whether they’re able to access the energy that they need, what is the impact on the price at home, what is the impact on the climate?”
Co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin then cut in to ask, “But that can’t be done without pausing? I think that’s the other question, because some people will look at LNG specifically and they say, look, this is a cleaner form of energy. In fact, when it’s exported, oftentimes, it is replacing energy that might be produced by coal, which is a lot dirtier.”
Granholm responded, “Yeah, it’s a good question, and that’s one of the things we have to evaluate. This is a temporary pause for the purpose of doing an assessment, which will be done in leadership by our National Labs. This is not an indefinite pause. It will last some months, there will be a comment period, etc.”
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