General News
Republicans Press Trump To Make Pipeline 'A Reality.' According to E&E News, “Republican
lawmakers urged the White House late Friday afternoon ‘to take any appropriate action necessary to move construction forward’ of the stalled Keystone XL pipeline. In a letter to President Trump, a coalition of Republicans, including 17 senators and 27 House
members, pressed the administration to meet the orders outlined by a federal court last month to enable construction of the controversial cross-border project. A federal judge in Montana halted the project, ruling in favor of a lawsuit filed by environmental
groups, which alleged that the administration failed to properly conduct environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. ‘We respectfully urge you to take every practicable step to get this project over the finish
line and workers back on the construction sites,’ the group wrote.” [E&E News,
12/17/18 (=)]
La. LNG Terminal Wins $1B-Plus Tax Break. According to E&E News, “A company planning a $15.9
billion liquefied natural gas export terminal in southwest Louisiana won approval today for a five-year property tax break expected to be worth up to $1.4 billion. Eventually, the tax break for the manufacturing facility through the state’s Industrial Tax
Exemption Program could balloon to more than $2 billion, when the impacts of a potential five-year renewal are included. That could make it the most expensive tax break ever awarded in the state, according to Together Louisiana, an organization seeking more
scrutiny of the exemptions. Louisiana’s Board of Commerce and Industry overwhelmingly backed the property tax break for the Driftwood LNG project in Calcasieu Parish, after efforts to delay a decision on the application failed in a 17-2 vote against postponement.
“ [E&E News,
12/15/18 (=)]
New Governor Seeks 'Way To Monetize Our Gas.' According to E&E News, “Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy
(R) plans to announce a decision soon on how he will proceed with the state’s proposed multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline and export project that was developed under his predecessor, Bill Walker (I). In an interview with E&E News after his meeting last
week with President Trump and 12 other newly elected governors, Dunleavy said his staff ‘is still evaluating the gas line. We are hopeful that there’s going to be a way to monetize our gas.’ ‘We’re hoping to be able to have a direction here shortly,’ he continued,
‘hopefully within the next week or two, and then we’ll make an announcement.’ Alaska has an estimated 34 trillion cubic feet of natural gas stranded at its North Slope oil fields.” [E&E News,
12/17/18 (=)]
Chad Ellwood
Research Associate
202.448.2877 ext. 119