The Honorable Joseph R. Biden
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden:
As friends and former colleagues, we are writing today to express our sincere hope that you will stay steadfast in your commitment to help lead the world to reach our climate goals and keep our national security interest as your highest priority. Both important goals can be achieved by rejecting, outright, any effort by a small group of advisors to reduce, delay or otherwise pause the export of American natural gas, which is one of our nation’s greatest and most valuable assets. Moving forward, natural gas exports can help pave the way for lower global emissions and enhanced global security.
As you are aware, we have a 100-year supply of natural gas here at home, along with the expertise to produce, transport and export this cleaner fuel source to help displace heavy-emitting coal fired plants around the world. Most nations do not have natural gas reserves and revert to cheaper and available coal to support economic growth and basic living conditions. In fact, your Climate Envoy John Kerry has acknowledged that if we can’t get China to reduce their coal use and lower their carbon emissions, any efforts to stop a rise in global temperatures will be impossible.
Since 2005, Americans have proven that this carbon reduction strategy not only works but works quickly. Approximately 60% of America’s power sector emission reductions have been achieved by transitioning away coal-fired plants to natural gas, with the remainder from non-carbon sources like wind, solar and hydro.
We now also have the ability, technology and industry support to capture methane emissions from our gas processes, with independent certification, making it an even smarter choice as part of a clean energy future here at home and abroad.
Labor and industry leaders agree that this approach will help create hundreds of thousands of jobs and help revitalize many towns and communities across the United States; all the while, giving support to Europe and our allies in the Pacific and Global South to counter security and economic threats from Russia and China. In fact, it was the quick mobilization of U.S. natural gas, deployed to Europe with unified American support, that has stabilized European natural gas prices, reduced reliance on emergency coal plants, averted economic collapse, and forced Putin’s strategy to backfire.
In addition, there are also political considerations to be weighed. Two-thirds of Americans agree we should promote a mix of fossil fuels and renewables, including a majority of Democrats, according to a June 2023 Pew Research Study.
We strongly believe that exports of natural gas must continue without pause as the facts and evidence clearly demonstrate this to be in our national interest.
Mr. President, our 100-year supply of natural gas is an asset, not a liability, in our fight against climate change and necessary to fulfill your often repeated promise of creating and restoring manufacturing jobs across our country.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this urgent issue. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the weeks and months ahead.
Sincerely,
Sen. Mary Landrieu, Natural Allies Leadership Council
Rep. Tim Ryan, Natural Allies Leadership Council
Rep. Kendrick Meek, Natural Allies Leadership Council
Mayor Michael Nutter, Natural Allies Leadership Council
cc: U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm; U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin; U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry; Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.
About Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future
Natural Allies is a coalition of interested stakeholders that recognize the vital role natural gas, and its infrastructure must play in the energy mix. Natural gas partnered with renewable energy can accelerate our path to a clean energy future – ensuring affordability and reliability while reducing carbon emissions domestically and internationally. To learn more about the members and the organization, please visit: naturalalliesforcleanenergy.org.