Biden Admin Appeals To Save Its Freeze On New Natural Gas Exports

The Biden administration appealed on Monday a July court ruling that lifted its January freeze on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals.

The Department of ⚡Energy (DOE) filed its appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit after a U.S. district judge ruled on July 1 to enjoin the DOE’s LNG export approvals freeze. The appeal indicates that the Biden administration is not inclined to allow one of its signature climate policy decisions to be overturned without a fight.

“Defendants Joseph R. Biden, in his official capacity as President of the United States; the United States Department of ⚡Energy (‘DOE’); Jennifer Granholm, in her official capacity as Secretary of the DOE; David M. Turk, in his official capacity as Deputy Secretary of the DOE; Geri Richmond, in her official capacity as Under Secretary of the DOE; Brad Crabtree, in his official capacity as Assistant Secretary of the DOE; and Amy Sweeney, in her official capacity as Director of the Office of Fossil ⚡Energy and Carbon Management within the DOE appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from the orders entered on July 1, 2024, which granted the State Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction and denied Defendants’ motion to dismiss,” the DOE’s appeal filing reads.