By: Bettencourt S.C.R. No. 32
(In the Senate - Filed March 13, 2015; March 23, 2015, read
first time and referred to Committee on Natural Resources and
Economic Development; April 22, 2015, reported favorably by the
following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; April 22, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The United States is the world's largest producer of
natural gas, but antiquated trade restrictions limit the potential
of this industry as an engine of economic growth; and
WHEREAS, In the wake of the 2008-2009 recession, the
increasing extraction of natural gas from shale formations helped
lift the nation's economy; this type of gas development supported
more than 900,000 jobs in 2012, according to a study sponsored by
the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for 21st Century
Energy; the majority of those jobs had been created even as overall
unemployment reached some of the highest levels in a generation;
the booming economy of Texas, a leader in shale gas and liquefied
natural gas production, is a testament to the importance of this
industry; and
WHEREAS, Natural gas exports also play an important
geopolitical role; Russia has been the dominant provider of
liquefied natural gas to European countries, and much of the
liquefied natural gas that they use flows through pipelines that
cross Ukraine; recent turmoil there has threatened energy supplies
to Europe, prompting efforts to diversify its sources of liquefied
natural gas; and
WHEREAS, Currently, an American company can export liquefied
natural gas only to the limited group of countries with which the
United States has existing free trade agreements, unless the firm
obtains a license by undergoing an onerous application process
through the Department of Energy; the review of liquefied natural
gas export applications has been extremely slow, resulting in
costly and unnecessary delays in exports to many of our trading
partners; moreover, this barrier contradicts the nation's historic
trade policy and inhibits compliance with World Trade Organization
rules; and
WHEREAS, The expansion of natural gas exports to all
countries within the World Trade Organization would bring the
United States in line with its World Trade Organization obligations
and build ties with East Asia and other parts of the world;
expediting these exports will spur additional investment in new
domestic production and increase global supplies of a critical
energy source; and
WHEREAS, At present, the costly and time-consuming
regulatory limitations on the export of natural gas hinder trade
expansion and job creation and work against the national security
interests of the United States; by ending these constraints and
increasing global supplies of a critical energy source, the nation
can strengthen its position on the world stage while allowing the
energy sector to amplify its vital contributions to economic
growth; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to expedite
natural gas exports; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the secretary of state forward official copies
of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the
president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.
* * * * *