"The Energy Department’s decision follows Trump’s energy expansion executive order and could signal more to come, locking in fossil fuel use for decades."
"The U.S. Department of Energy has granted conditional authorization for a contested project to export liquified natural gas in southwest Louisiana, potentially the first in a string of such moves in the second Trump administration.
At the beginning of last year, the Biden administration temporarily paused all pending applications for permits to export more LNG to countries that don’t have free trade agreements with the U.S., a step celebrated by environmental advocates worried about the climate and public health consequences of the terminals. These projects are major investments meant to run for decades.
Eight such terminals already operate in the U.S. Another eight new sites or expansions are under construction, and a dozen more have approval to start development, according to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Some of these projects still require approval from the Energy Department to export to all countries.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that included a directive for the agency to restart its review of these applications."
Keerti Gopal reports for Inside Climate News February 19, 2025.