Here in the Gulf South, we’ve had a front-row seat to Louisiana’s transformation into America’s energy powerhouse. In a little over a decade, fossil fuel import infrastructure, initially built to ensure our energy security, was rapidly reimagined into the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export market. In 2023, Louisiana provided nearly 60% of the nation’s LNG export capacity.

As a veteran and Louisianan, I supported the Biden administration’s 2024 pause on new LNG export projects because I thought it would help us ensure our nation’s LNG exports are in the public’s interest, including our national security. The Department of Energy used the pause to evaluate and update the information it considers when weighing the risks of LNG exports.

With the results of this most recent election, that assessment of LNG exports’ trade-offs is sure to be minimized.  That deeply concerns me. One big reason is China. Our strategic competitor is exploiting LNG to advance its interests at our expense. A report from the American Security Project last month confirmed my concerns that we’re at risk of losing our nation’s competitive edge.

According to the report, China buys our LNG at rock-bottom prices and then resells it globally at premium rates. While Louisiana workers and companies produce and deliver reliable energy to world markets, China pockets the profits, reinvests and promotes its global influence. We have been enabling our most serious competitor to outpace us while shortchanging our future.

But for fossil fuels to be part of a climate-conscious system, American oil and gas operators must make significant reductions in emissions. The LNG exported from our shores is produced in our gas fields and then transported through communities across Louisiana.

The production of fossil gas that is liquefied into LNG has an emissions profile itself. It is mostly from leaked, vented and flared methane gas, the primary component of natural gas and a climate super-pollutant. If politicians are serious in their rhetoric to hold China accountable, they must ensure our own methane emissions are not the next prey for China’s predatory LNG import strategy.

In Louisiana, we’re emitting natural gas — and money — into thin air. Recent aerial surveys show that the emissions of methane are five times higher in Louisiana than industry standards. In 2023 alone, the Environmental Defense Fund estimates oil and gas operators across Louisiana lost an estimated $170 million worth of gas to venting, leaks and flaring, which is enough energy to fill approximately 22 LNG tankers.

Meanwhile, consumers in the US and across the globe want to cut emissions and support cleaner sources of energy. Reducing emissions keeps Louisiana’s energy industry competitive in markets increasingly seeking lower-emissions intensity LNG.

But there is good news. We already have the tools to fix this problem. The EPA’s new methane rules, which have support from major industry players, provide a pathway for Louisiana to clean up its LNG in the world. By implementing these common-sense and cost-effective rules quickly, we can:

  • Protect Louisiana’s competitive edge: To stay competitive, our industry must cut methane emissions along the supply chain.
  • Create high-paying local jobs: The demand for methane monitoring and control will create new positions in our state, from advanced monitoring to infrastructure repair, offering good-paying jobs
  • Preserve community health and environment: Reducing methane emissions directly impacts air quality, which benefits public health, especially in communities near oil and gas infrastructure.
  • Fortify America’s energy security: By controlling our emissions, we strengthen America’s energy leadership and resist foreign competitors benefiting from our vulnerabilities.

Real energy leadership should consider national security and act on cutting wasteful and harmful methane emissions. We must remember Louisiana has built an energy legacy on strength and resilience, but we must also adapt to remain competitive. Now is the time for Louisiana to step up, reduce methane waste and secure its place at the forefront of the global energy landscape.