On January 26, 2024, the Biden administration announced a temporary pause on pending Department of Energy decisions for LNG exports to countries without a U.S. Free-trade agreement, while previously issued export authorizations continued to apply.
True
On January 26, 2024, the Energy Department paused pending LNG export decisions while existing authorizations remained valid.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Temporary Pause on Pending Approvals of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports | The White House
Source: bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov
At a glance
Verified September 1, 2026Key Evidence
The January 26, 2024, White House fact sheet directly announced a temporary pause on pending LNG export decisions to non-free-trade-agreement countries.
The pause did not invalidate export authorizations that had already been issued, so the claim correctly distinguishes pending decisions from existing approvals.
Reuters independently reported the same-day action and described it as affecting pending and future permits for exports to non-free-trade-agreement countries.
The reporting
What the Evidence Shows
The White House announced on January 26, 2024, that the Department of Energy would temporarily pause decisions on pending applications to export liquefied natural gas to non-free-trade-agreement countries. The stated purpose was to update the analyses used to determine whether those authorizations served the public interest. The announcement concerned pending decisions, not a cancellation of existing approvals.bidenwhitehouse.archives.govbidenwhitehouse.archives.govFACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Temporary Pause on Pending...
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