(Washington, DC) – Former Democratic U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Co-Chairs of Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future, released the following statement upon news regarding a new bilateral working group established between the Biden Administration and the United Kingdom on increasing production of U.S. liquefied natural gas:
“We applaud the Biden Administration’s announcement this week recognizing the valuable role that U.S. natural gas plays in underpinning a more secure and stable relationship with the United Kingdom. This new bilateral working group sheds direct light on opportunities to increase trade with the U.K that will help stabilize energy markets and drive down prices.
“Because of an overreliance on an untrustworthy energy partner, we’ve seen how vulnerable the pillars of the European economy have become. Homeowners and businesses alike are seeing ten-fold increases in electric prices, manufacturers throughout Europe are losing their ability to compete internationally, and there’s been a serious miscalculation that wind and solar alone could fill the power supply gap. Coal use is now ramping up in Europe and across the world, moving us backwards in our shared fight against climate change.
“Our European allies are in trouble, and America’s natural gas industry has answered the call for help in the face of this energy crisis. Now is the time for the U.S. to further expand our own domestic natural gas infrastructure to ensure secure, affordable supplies in our country and for our allies abroad, while supporting renewables to meet our climate goals faster.”
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