Los Angeles, CA – Despite its recent approval of a pair of major liquified natural gas (LNG) export operations, the US Department of Energy (DOE) needs to speed-up the process of green-lighting a number of other proposed LNG projects, says the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Charging that “dozens of other permits still face lengthy delays,” the trade group is urging the White House “to accelerate this process and work with leaders in Congress who have shown they are ready to strengthen America’s position as an energy superpower,” according to the industry group.

Both Sempra Energy’s Cameron LNG project in Louisiana and the Carib Energy LLC project in Florida were cleared for LNG exports to countries like those in the European Union that don’t have a free-trade agreement with the US.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission granted the $10 billion Cameron project a construction license in June after it was issued a conditional export permit by the Energy Department earlier in the year. Its Louisiana facility will be able to export up to 1.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day for up to 20 years.

The Carib Energy project was approved under a new process that allows the DOE to issue decisions on applications only after federal environmental reviews are completed.

An environmental review was waived for Carib Energy, a subsidiary of the Crowley Maritime Corp, because the exports would be coming from an existing natural gas liquefaction facility that’s already undergone the necessary assessments.

Carib’s operation would move up to 0.04 billion cubic feet a day of gas in ISO-certified LNG shipping containers to countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America.

09/25/2014