The Biden administration’s move to stop approving liquefied natural gas exports is a breathtaking decision to exacerbate climate change and air pollution, betray our allies, and kill clean energy investment. It is a rare, lose-lose policy with potentially catastrophic consequences for America’s geopolitical strength and for billions of people around the world.

America’s growing liquefied natural gas exports are a technological and financial marvel. Half a dozen huge facilities, each costing more than $10 billion, take natural gas and cool it most of the way to absolute zero so that it becomes a liquid and can be sent overseas on $250 million vessels. The United States has gone from zero liquefied natural exports in 2016 to being the world’s largest exporter in 2023. And the administration and industry have promised far more gas exports to both Europe and the developing world to help them clean up their energy sectors and survive ongoing energy crises.

Natural gas is key to cleaning up the global energy system for three related reasons. First, it burns far cleaner than other electricity sources such as coal and oil. 

Second, it has a unique ability to ramp up and down as needed, which makes it possible for countries to expand their use of renewable power sources such as solar and wind. To avoid catastrophic blackouts, power grids around the world must always exactly balance power demanded by millions with power provided by hundreds of power plants. Power grid managers can’t choose when solar and wind are available, so they can’t use these sources unless they have sources such as natural gas that can ramp up when renewables aren’t available. 

Third, over coming decades natural gas will get cleaner and cleaner as we continue reducing methane leaks to the atmosphere and begin implementing carbon capture for natural gas power plants.

It is bizarre for the administration, then, to claim its decision to stop gas exports was driven by concern for the climate. Delaying gas exports warms our planet and dooms millions to breathe dirty air. The government’s own analyses confirm that delaying gas exports will worsen climate change. 

The world’s largest source of electricity is coal power. Replacing coal with U.S. natural gas sharply lowers greenhouse gas emissions and drastically lowers air pollution, helping billions breathe easier. Developing countries will not consider giving up coal power until they have access to the kind of cleaner, reliable, and affordable power that U.S. gas can provide. And the Biden administration is currently proposing greenhouse gas rules that assume carbon capture will be widely available in coming decades, making future gas power even cleaner. 

The developing world and U.S. allies are already dealing with dangerous shortages of liquefied natural gas. After Russia cut Europe’s gas supplies following its invasion of Ukraine, U.S. gas flooded into Europe, helping the continent survive the winter. President Joe Biden promised that he would dramatically expand gas exports through the end of the decade, committing to send nearly all projected additional supply to Europe to help it resist Russian blackmail. With so much U.S. gas going to Europe, there were catastrophic shortages of gas for electricity in the developing world, with more than 200 million in Pakistan left without electricity. In response to this crisis, Pakistan has decided to quadruple its coal power plants.

President Joe Biden claims to be deeply frustrated that although he has authorized hundreds of billions in clean energy spending, very little has been built. The irony is that there are shovel-ready clean energy projects — liquefied natural gas investors are poised to spend tens of billions of private dollars to fight climate change, support our allies, and clean the air. What a pity that the president just told them to put their shovels down.