HR1949-119

What This Bill Does

The Unlocking our Domestic LNG Potential Act of 2025 shifts federal natural-gas import and export approvals away from the prior Department of Energy public-interest framework and toward the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It strikes existing Natural Gas Act subsections, redesignates remaining provisions, and provides that FERC has exclusive authority to approve or deny applications for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of facilities that export natural gas from the United States or import natural gas from abroad, including LNG terminals. When FERC decides those applications, it must deem natural-gas exportation or importation to be consistent with the public interest. The bill says it does not otherwise disturb other federal agency responsibilities for LNG facilities, and it preserves presidential authority under the Constitution, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the National Emergencies Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, the Trading With the Enemy Act, sanctions laws, and state-sponsor-of-terrorism restrictions to prohibit imports or exports.

Who Benefits and How

LNG export terminal developers, LNG import terminal operators, natural gas producers, pipeline companies, upstream drilling firms, energy infrastructure investors, construction contractors, liquefaction equipment suppliers, foreign LNG buyers, and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission applicants benefit from a centralized FERC approval path and from the statutory instruction that natural-gas imports and exports are consistent with the public interest. That reduces the separate DOE policy gate that could delay or block export approvals on broader market or climate grounds.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of Energy must lose its prior public-interest gatekeeping role for natural-gas import and export authorizations. Domestic gas consumers, manufacturing gas users, environmental organizations, climate-policy advocates, community groups near LNG terminals, and state energy offices face higher litigation and policy burden because the bill narrows the federal public-interest review lever for opposing or conditioning LNG export growth. FERC commissioners, FERC certificate staff, environmental-review staff, and presidential sanctions reviewers must handle the centralized approval process and preserve sanctions, emergency, and state-sponsor-of-terrorism restrictions.

Key Provisions

• Amends Natural Gas Act section 3 by striking and redesignating import-export subsections.
• Grants FERC exclusive authority over applications to site, construct, expand, or operate natural gas import and export facilities, including LNG terminals.
• Requires FERC to deem natural-gas importation or exportation consistent with the public interest.
• Preserves otherwise applicable federal agency responsibilities for LNG facilities except where the bill specifically changes them.
• Preserves presidential authority under sanctions, emergency, energy, trading-with-the-enemy, and state-sponsor-of-terrorism laws to prohibit imports or exports.