WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) on Friday introduced legislation to expand natural gas exports to United States’ allies and partners. The bill, titled Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act, would expand the list of countries to which the United States can export natural gas to without delay. A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

Under the Natural Gas Act, securing approval like this can take several years, however there are mechanisms to expedite approval for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries, as these exports are considered “consistent with public interest” by law. Current countries considered “allies” under the bill are member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as well as Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan and New Zealand. Countries that would be added to the bill are Cyprus, Finland, Moldova, Sweden, Taiwan and Ukraine. Exports to these countries would be deemed “public interested” through 2026. 

“As we see global tensions increase between Russia and our allies, it’s imperative that we reduce global reliance on energy from all of America’s adversaries,” said Congressman Gonzales. “Increasing natural gas exports will encourage the use of a cleaner fuel source, improve national security, and create American jobs. The United States, our partners and our allies should not be dependent on our competitors as an energy source, especially when we have an abundance of natural gas right in our backyard.”