Pa. Democrats Bob Casey and John Fetterman split with Biden over natural gas exports pause

Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman said Thursday they have concerns about President Joe Biden’s decision to pause approvals for additional liquefied natural gas plant exports, a rare break with the administration for the Pennsylvania Democrats.

In a joint statement Casey and Fetterman said they worried the freeze could have impacts on Pennsylvania jobs.

“Pennsylvania is an energy state. As the second largest natural gas-producing state, this industry has created good-paying energy jobs in towns and communities across the Commonwealth and has played a critical role in promoting U.S. energy independence,” the senators said.

“While the immediate impacts on Pennsylvania remain to be seen, we have concerns about the long-term impacts that this pause will have on the thousands of jobs in Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry. If this decision puts Pennsylvania energy jobs at risk, we will push the Biden Administration to reverse this decision.”

LNG, or liquefied natural gas, is a process of cooling gas until it changes to a liquid and can be stored and shipped safely abroad. Upon arrival, the gas is reheated to return it to a gaseous state and transported by pipeline to distribution companies, industrial consumers, and power plants.

Pennsylvania has no LNG terminals, however, as The Inquirer has reported, a New York company run by a Philadelphia native had its sights on building a terminal along Chester’s waterfront, which is about 10 miles south of Philadelphia and closer to the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Chester never was officially identified as a possible site.

The state is one of the leading producers of natural gas through fracking.

Chester Mayor Stefan Roots, a Democrat, said he was relieved by Biden’s decision, even if it would mean the loss of potential jobs and tax dollars. He went so far as to say Biden had “saved” Chester, which is already home to an incinerator and a waste treatment plant.

But for Casey, who is running for reelection this year, threats to the state’s energy sector could become a major campaign concern.

Fetterman, who was elected in 2022, at times struggled during his campaign to straddle his commitment to renewable energy with pledging to support the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians employed by the fracking industry.

Biden announced last month the administration would delay consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He said the pause was a move to “heed the calls of young people” and take aim at quelling “the climate crisis … the existential threat of our time.” Biden’s approval rating with young voters has slumped in recent months.

Environmentalists applauded the pause, having long voiced a fear that a huge increase in liquefied natural gas is locking in potentially catastrophic planet-warming emissions. Republicans and industry groups condemned it. The American Petroleum Institute, the largest oil and gas lobbying group, called it “a win for Russia.”

Casey, asked about the decision at a campaign event last week, said he needed more time to consider the proposal but would be for “whatever is going to help advance job creation in Pennsylvania, that’s what I’m going to be for.”

His Republican challenger Dave McCormick sought to capitalize on the issue.

“America and PA lead the world in Liquified Natural Gas, creating jobs for our people & allies for our country,” McCormick wrote on the social media platform X. “Joe Biden is dead wrong on #LNG.”

Casey and Fetterman’s stance puts some pressure on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to weigh in. The Democratic governor’s office did not return requests for comment on Thursday.

Seven LNG terminals are currently operating in the U.S., mostly in Louisiana and Texas, with up to five more expected to come online in the next few years. Biden’s action would not affect those projects, but could delay a dozen or more LNG projects that are pending or in various stages of planning. The nearest large-scale LNG plant is in Cove Point, Md., on the west bank of the Chesapeake Bay.

State Rep. Martina White (R., Philadelphia), who was chair of the LNG Export Task Force appointed by former Gov. Tom Wolf, said it was a rare instance of agreeing with the Pennsylvania senators.

”I’m very happy to hear Casey and Fetterman are supportive of Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry,” White said. “The divide in the Democrat party on the LNG issue shows Biden is pandering to his extremist base and is not making his decisions on sound science.”

On Thursday, Zulene Mayfield, who heads a group resisting any LNG terminal in Chester, said she wasn’t surprised that Fetterman came out against Biden’s pause but was taken aback by Casey.

”Fetterman? He’s from fracking country,” Mayfield said. “Oh Bob Casey, I’m so disappointed in you.”