November 23, 2024 - The Department of Energy is set to release a highly anticipated analysis as soon as next week on the environmental and economic impacts of natural gas exports, several people close to the process told POLITICO’s E&E News.

The analysis is likely to find that U.S. liquefied natural gas shipments drive up domestic prices and are more costly to the climate than coal used in some countries where LNG is exported or could be exported, those people said.

“The assumption is that a good time to release such a report would be the Friday after Thanksgiving,” said an energy lobbyist, who was granted anonymity to speak freely due to the sensitivity of the process. “I certainly don’t think they would want that [comment period] to extend onto the next administration.”

DOE paused approvals of new LNG projects in January to review the environmental effects of the fuel. It emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when burned, leaked or released. DOE had committed to publishing the new analysis by the end of the year.