Overview
- The House approved the Unlocking Our Domestic LNG Potential Act and the REFINER Act and sent both measures to the Senate.
- The LNG bill would transfer export‑permitting authority from the Department of Energy to the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
- The refinery measure directs the National Petroleum Council to deliver a report to the Energy Department and Congress on whether federal policies have hindered U.S. petrochemical refineries.
- Republican leaders say the legislation would depoliticize permitting, expand exports, attract energy infrastructure investment, and lower consumer costs.
- Backers cite a 2024 DOE move that effectively froze most LNG approvals as justification for the shift to FERC’s multi‑commission structure.