Sponsor
Daniel Scott Sullivan
Senator · R-AK
Senator · R-AK
The bill prioritizes keeping more U.S. natural gas at home to strengthen domestic energy security, reduce corruption exposure, and limit U.S.-enabled fossil fuel exports, but that trade-off risks higher domestic energy prices, lost export revenue and jobs, strained trade relations, and legal uncertainty for exporters.
Households, businesses, and local utilities in the U.S. (including rural communities and taxpayers) would keep access to more domestically produced natural gas, supporting local energy security and lowering reliance on cross-border shipments.
Energy workers and the public would see reduced U.S.-enabled growth in global fossil fuel exports because producers could not export gas intended for onward shipment via foreign LNG terminals, which helps limit U.S. contribution to global emissions.
Domestic natural gas terminals and some U.S. exporters (including small-business-owners and local terminal operators) could see increased demand and potential revenue from retaining gas shipments for domestic use.
Households, taxpayers, and businesses (including small firms and rural consumers) could face higher domestic natural gas prices if the bill reduces export flexibility or constrains trade channels, raising energy bills and input costs.
U.S. exporters, energy workers, and related businesses could lose export revenue and jobs if shipments are blocked or restricted because of intent-based export limits.
State governments, taxpayers, and businesses could suffer from damaged trade relations, reduced U.S. leverage in global energy markets, and potential retaliatory measures from affected trading partners, which could spill over into other goods and services.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bans exporting U.S.-produced or U.S.-refined natural gas when the exporter intends the gas to be subsequently exported through a foreign LNG terminal.
Official title: Prohibit certain exports of natural gas produced or refined in the United States, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 13, 2025 by Daniel Scott Sullivan · Last progress March 13, 2025
Bans the export of U.S.-produced or U.S.-refined natural gas when the exporter intends the gas to be subsequently exported onward through a foreign LNG terminal. The bill rests on findings that exports routed through terminals in countries the bill describes as corrupt (using Mexico as the primary example) pose national security, trade, and regulatory risks. The prohibition applies broadly to all persons and covers any mechanism of export whenever the exporter’s intent is to enable transshipment through a foreign onshore or state-waters LNG terminal.