Federal Government Grants First LNG Export License After Moratorium Overruled

A decision in January to pause approval of new licenses for exporting LNG to countries that are not U.S. trade partners was blocked by a federal court in July.

An LNG tanker is guided by tug boats at the Cheniere Sabine Pass LNG export unit in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, on April 14, 2022. Marcy de Luna/Reuters

The federal government on Sept. 3 granted the first license to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) since a federal court blocked its temporary moratorium on new LNG export licenses in July.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved a five-year term for New Fortress Energy to export U.S.-sourced natural gas from its offshore plant in Altamira, Mexico, to non-free trade agreement countries.