{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-votes-lift-restrictions-lng-and-expand-american-refining-capacity", "Fedorchak votes to lift restrictions on LNG and expand American refining capacity", "2025-11-20", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "House", "ND", "Julie Fedorchak", "F000482", "fedorchak.house.gov", "fedorchak", "https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak (R-ND) today voted in support of two bills that unleash American energy production by lifting restrictions on U.S. natural gas exports and expanding domestic refining capacity.\n\n\u201cBy freezing LNG export permits and allowing America\u2019s refining capacity to erode, the Biden administration left America\u2019s energy supply vulnerable and our energy security weakened,\u201d Fedorchak said. \u201cThese bills begin to reverse that trend by cleaning up the permitting mess, evaluating refinery closures, and putting American energy back on solid footing.\u201d\n\nUnlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act:\n\nH.R. 1949, the Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act, lifts outdated federal restrictions on importing and exporting natural gas, overturns the Biden administration\u2019s politically motivated freeze on LNG export permits, and streamlines the approval process for LNG imports and exports.\n\nUnder Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act, the Department of Energy is required to approve natural gas exports to non\u2013Free Trade Agreement countries unless doing so is proven contrary to the public interest, and exports to FTA countries are automatically considered in the public interest.\n\nIn January 2024, President Biden imposed an indefinite ban on new LNG export permits to non-FTA countries while the administration reviewed the \u201cclimate impacts\u201d of LNG exports\u2014a political freeze that stalled investment, threatened U.S. energy production, and undermined allies in Europe seeking to move away from Russian gas.\n\nThe Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act repeals these restrictions and gives FERC sole authority over natural gas import and export applications, creating a clearer, faster permitting system.\n\nREFINER Act:\n\nH.R. 3109, the REFINER Act, directs the National Petroleum Council to study opportunities to expand American refining capacity and identify federal and state barriers contributing to refinery closures and declining output.\n\nOver the last several years, America\u2019s refining capacity has declined due burdensome federal and state policies that make it increasingly difficult to operate refineries. From 2020 to 2022, U.S. refining capacity fell by more than one million barrels per day, and the number of refineries dropped from 135 to 128. This has contributed to seasonal price spikes, greater dependence on foreign energy supplies, and strained markets in regions like the West Coast, where California is set to lose 17 percent of its refining capacity next year because of its hostile regulatory environment.\n\nThe REFINER Act directs the National Petroleum Council to study the state of U.S. refining, identify risks and regulatory barriers, and outline opportunities to expand capacity.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fedorchak.house.gov/media/press-releases/fedorchak-votes-lift-restrictions-lng-and-expand-american-refining-capacity"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8314941078424454, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}