Sen. Scott, Rep. Pfluger Blasts Biden Harris Admin for Using Flawed Climate Study to Shut Down LNG Exports

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Congressman August Pfluger (R-Texas) penned a bicameral letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm blasting the Biden-Harris administration for using the flawed Howarth study that called liquefied natural gas (LNG) “worse than coal” as the basis for their decision to halt LNG exports.

“The two words the Biden-Harris administration hates most are ‘transparency’ and ‘accountability’—two things the American people deserve from their government. From the very beginning, it was clear that there was never any real basis for pausing LNG exports earlier this year; it was always about politics,” said Senator Scott. “The American people deserve better, and they need answers as to how much influence a flawed, biased study had on the administration’s decision-making.”

“The Biden-Harris Administration has used every tool in their arsenal to attack American energy production, including relying on a flawed study to shut down LNG exports—endangering energy security for the U.S. and our allies,” said Congressman August Pfluger. “President Biden and Vice President Harris must answer for their political targeting of the Permian Basin.”

In the letter, the lawmakers write:

“We write seeking information on how the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) relied on the study titled “The Greenhouse Gas Footprint of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Exported from the United States” published by Robert Howarth (“Howarth study”) in justifying its January 26, 2024, moratorium on approvals of LNG export projects. It was widely reported that the Howarth study, which claims that U.S. LNG is worse for the climate than coal, heavily influenced the Biden-Harris administration’s decision. Perplexingly, Mr. Howarth published his study before it was peer reviewed – at the behest of climate activists – and has revised it multiple times in recent months. 

“In July 2024, the non-partisan Breakthrough Institute published a comprehensive review of the Howarth study titled “A Major Paper on Liquified Natural Gas Emissions Is Riddled with Errors,” which identified significant errors in the study’s assumptions, methodology, and conclusions. Specifically, the review found that Mr. Howarth used incorrect data regarding the source of natural gas exported as LNG, leakage rates, and shipping distances, as well as an “incontrovertibly flawed methodology” to calculate the climate impact of U.S. LNG. The Breakthrough Institute also correctly points out that Howarth’s findings are a major outlier compared to nearly all other lifecycle emissions analyses of U.S. LNG, including those incorporating the most up-to-date data.” 

Read the full letter here.

Senator Scott and Congressman August Pfluger were joined on the letter by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Representatives Dan Meuser (R-Pa.), Pat Fallon (R-Texas), Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Judge Carter (R-Texas), Robert E. Latta (R-Ohio), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Harriet M. Hageman (R-Wyo.), Wesley Hunt (R-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Troy Balderson (R-Ohio), Clay Higgins (R-La.), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas), Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), Mike Rulli (R-Ohio), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Lisa McClain (R-Mich.),  Tracey Mann (R-Kan.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), French Hill (R-Ark.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Nathaniel Moran (R-Texas), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), John Joyce, M.D. (R-Pa.), Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Mike Carey (R-Ohio),  Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.), and Rudy Yakym III (R-Ind.).

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