Department of Transportation officials have awarded a license to an offshore natural gas export facility, reversing themselves under orders from President Donald Trump.
DOT’s Maritime Administration, or MARAD, last year denied Delfin LNG a license for its floating export terminal off the coast of Louisiana, saying it was too different than the project it had given preliminary approval years before.
But the “Unleashing American Energy” order Trump signed on the first day of his term had arcane language tucked into it ordering MARAD to take another look at the project, and explicit instructions on what not to look at.
MARAD’s brief statement announcing the reversal did not offer any reasons except to say that it “is being issued in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order” on energy.
