What Trump did — and didn’t — say about LNG in energy orders

By Carlos Anchondo | 01/22/2025 06:30 AM EST

The president has unveiled policies intended to help boost U.S. liquefied natural gas exports.

A ship readies exports of liquefied natural gas.

A ship readies exports of liquefied natural gas via Corpus Christi, Texas. Business Wire

President Donald Trump kicked off his second term this week by championing U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas — a move that both outlined his priorities and raised new questions.

In one order, Trump ended a pause on approving LNG export applications pending before the Department of Energy. In another, he touted an Alaska export project that federal energy regulators approved during his first administration. That development has yet to break ground.

A notable omission in Trump’s main energy order: any mention of climate considerations in a list of criteria the Energy secretary must consider when deciding if LNG exports are in the public interest. Instead, the document points to the economic and national security repercussions of exports.

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DOE’s leader “shall consider the economic and employment impacts to the United States and the impact to the security of allies and partners that would result from granting the application,” Trump said in the order.

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