The first concrete Republican party responses to the Biden administration’s Jan. 26 decision to pause new LNG export terminals were announced Jan. 31.

The U.S. House Energy, Climate and Grid Security subcommittee scheduled a Feb. 6 hearing titled “Politics Over People: How Biden’s LNG Export Ban Threatens America’s Energy and Economic Security.”

The subcommittee works under the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In the meeting announcement, the White House decision was blasted by Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), who leads the Energy and Commerce Committee and Jeff Duncan (R-SC), who chairs the Energy, Climate and Grid Security group.

“The Biden administration’s indefinite ‘pause’ on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports jeopardizes American energy security, jobs and the economy. This latest attack on energy production is a political decision to appease radical climate activists at the expense of our energy security and the security of our allies,” the committees’ leaders said in a joint statement.

“This hearing will be an opportunity to explore the many benefits of LNG, not only for the U.S. but for our allies as well.”

On Jan. 26, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) pledged to hold a hearing on the decision as well, but had not set a date as of Jan. 31. Manchin, who is retiring from the Senate and mulling an independent presidential run, is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Duncan also said House GOP members are considering bringing a proposed 2023 law from retired GOP Rep. Bill Johnson to the floor while members debate a package of energy bills in February, Politico reported.

The “Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2023” would take the approval authority for LNG export terminals away from the DOE.

The House’s planned meeting is the first congressional action since President Biden directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to stop approving non-free-trade agreement certifications for new LNG export terminals, pending a re-write of the current criteria that includes climate change as one of the considerations.

Countries the U.S. has a free-trade agreement with are automatically approved. However, as most export terminals have customers from non-FTA countries, the review is crucial in moving the project forward.

The White House’s move effectively delays four LNG export terminals either planned or under construction—none of which are scheduled to go online prior to 2027—after the U.S. export capacity will have already more than doubled from current levels. Critics argue that the move would interfere with companies seeking to create long-term deals with potential customers and will hurt other nations’ confidence that the U.S. LNG market will become politicized.

In the Senate, Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy announced in a Jan. 29 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that he would block White House nominees for posts in the DOE and State Department.

All but two of the current and planned LNG export terminals are on the Gulf Coast, with a concentration in Louisiana. The Calcasieu Pass 2 project, which would create the largest LNG export terminal in the U.S., is one of the sites facing delay by the White House’s move.

“Until Mr. Biden drops this battle against American energy, I’m going to block every nominee he tries to place at the State and Energy departments,” Kennedy said. “Like the Terminator, I’ll be back again and again to stop his nominees and remind the world that he’s intentionally killing jobs and threatening our national security to placate confused climate extremists.”

While there are currently no DOE appointments waiting for approval, the State Department has Kurt Campbell, a deputy secretary who is waiting for a vote.

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