U.S. senators Bill Cassidy and Marco Rubio pushed a legislation to expedite the approval of small-scale LNG exports.
The senators’ legislation is in line with the Department of Energy’s proposed rule to expedite the approval of small-scale exports of natural gas to customers in the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
According to a joint statement, senators Cassidy and Rubio propose to expedite approval of exports equal to or less than 51.1 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year.
The Caribbean small-scale LNG export market represents a relatively untapped outlet as the United States only exported approximately three billion cubic feet of natural gas to the region in 2016.
Increasing exports of U.S. LNG will decrease Caribbean & Central American reliance on Venezuelan fuel oil, increase economic opportunities, and offer a cleaner-burning fuel source for those nations, the statement reads.
The current permitting process for LNG export facilities is expensive, and small-scale projects often are not cost effective under current conditions, the statement reads.
Reducing the time and investment required for small-scale exports would result in the increase in LNG exports.