GOP leaders confront Biden’s new climate czar on key security risks lurking in green agenda

FIRST ON FOX: Senate GOP leaders are sending a loud warning to President Biden's newly appointed climate czar John Podesta over the administration's policy curbing energy projects they say support American jobs and are critical for U.S. allies.

On Monday, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, will hand-deliver a letter to Podesta in Houston where they and other public sector leaders, alongside a wide range of industry leaders, are attending the annual CERAWeek energy conference. The letter outlines energy security and foreign policy concerns with the Biden administration's recent climate policy pausing major liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal projects.

"Demand for LNG, obviously, is not going away anytime soon," Sullivan said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "American LNG is one of the cleanest forms of energy available anywhere and leveraging America's energy independence is one of our greatest strengths against authoritarian regimes."

"This issue of American LNG and the pause the Biden administration announced for no reason – all it is, is clearly driven by far-left radical enviros. It's not based on science, it's not based on anything. It's based on politics and Podesta driving it," he continued. "One of the most important weapons we've been providing our allies in Europe, let alone Asia, to get them off Russian LNG is American LNG."

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Sen. Dan Sullivan speaks during a Senate hearing on Feb. 3, 2021. (Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)

The Alaska Republican added that his letter comes after he attended the Munich Security Conference in Germany last month, where a number of European leaders expressed concern about President Biden's LNG moratorium. Noting meetings with the German chancellor, European Union president and NATO secretary-general, Sullivan said the leaders were "apoplectic" about the policy.

Sullivan, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, was joined in penning the letter by Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Foreign Relations Committee ranking member James Risch, R-Idaho, and Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member John Barrasso, R-Wyo.

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"At a time when war is ongoing in Ukraine and tensions are rising in the Middle East and Asia, it is particularly important that allied nations can rely on the United States for a reliable, long-term fuel supply," they wrote to Podesta. "The administration’s decision, however, creates serious doubts about the reliability of that fuel supply and will have dire national security and foreign policy implications. It should be reversed immediately."

"If the Biden administration’s policy remains in effect indefinitely, we run the risk of effectively losing one-third of the current potential of increased LNG export capacity, threatening our allies’ energy security," the letter continued. "U.S. LNG exports provide a diverse and secure source of energy to our allies, and it reduces their dependence for that supply on foreign adversaries and potentially unstable regions."

John Podesta, the senior White House adviser to the president for international climate policy, was appointed to the role earlier this year after former climate czar John Kerry stepped down. (Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In a surprise move in January, Biden ordered the Department of Energy to pause pending permits for LNG export facilities while federal officials conduct a rigorous environmental review assessing the projects' carbon emissions, which could take more than a year to complete. The action represents a major victory for activists who have loudly called for such a move, which they said would help combat global warming.

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However, the move was blasted by industry groups, former federal officials and bipartisan lawmakers, who noted energy exports are vital for aiding allies in Europe and Asia. In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago, U.S. LNG largely filled the void left by Russian natural gas as U.S. allies sought to wean off Russian exports and punish the nation's economy, a plan Biden endorsed at the time.

Opponents also argued that LNG exports bolster domestic energy production and boost the U.S. economy. Fossil fuel industry groups recently cited research indicating that LNG exports could add as much as $73 billion to the U.S. economy by 2040, create 453,000 American jobs and increase U.S. purchasing power by $30 billion.

President Biden ordered pending natural gas export projects to be halted in a stunning move in January. The action was cheered by environmentalists who oppose fossil fuel development. (Getty Images)

Critics of Biden's action further said it would not help the environment since global consumers will, as a result, likely revert to greater reliance on coal or Russian gas, both of which are dirtier than U.S. LNG.

"It’s imperative that the U.S. sends a strong message to its allies that it can be a reliable LNG exporter," the Republicans' letter Monday concluded.

"The administration’s decision does the opposite, as it will cede America’s influence in these markets, allowing countries like Russia, Qatar, and even Iran to fill the void and give them an unnecessary geopolitical advantage. Therefore, we urge the Administration to reverse its decision and move forward with supporting domestic jobs and our allies abroad."

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The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.