President Donald Trump did not start a war with Iran. He is trying to stop a war by Iran. Our intelligence showed that Iran had renewed its nuclear weapons program. Our intelligence also showed that Iran had begun manufacturing hundreds of missiles and drones a month so that Iran could threaten to destroy the entire Middle East if we ever attacked it again to stop its development of a nuclear warhead. The Trump administration had no choice but to do what we did.
One of the reasons the president was able to attack first in order to protect America’s security and interests is because we are no longer dependent on Iran or any other nation for energy. In fact, we can produce enough oil and gas to satisfy America’s energy needs and have some left over to sell to our friends in Europe, for instance.
Just 10 years ago, Louisiana sent its first cargo export of liquified natural gas (LNG) overseas to our allies. In the decade since, Louisiana energy producers have ramped up LNG shipments to nearly 15 billion cubic feet per day. That’s enough LNG to power 15 London-sized cities every day.
This has been a game-changer for our friends in Europe. Prior to America’s entrance into the LNG export market, Russia was one of the only suppliers of natural gas to Europe. When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his war on Ukraine, our allies in Europe were able to turn to Louisiana for their energy instead of depending on a vicious dictator who wants to drink their blood out of a boot. Today, 60% of Europe’s LNG comes from America.
Louisiana energy producers managed to increase LNG exports to Europe despite four years of weapons-grade stupid policies from the Biden administration. President Joe Biden’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), for example, issued a new rule requiring all offshore energy producers to submit archaeological reports of the ocean floor before they begin drilling to detect shipwrecks.
It didn’t matter that energy producers had already mapped the Gulf and located thousands of shipwrecks; the Biden administration wanted them to do it all over again every time they drilled in a new location.
Not only did President Biden saddle Louisiana energy producers with mounds of red-tape regulations that made every drill more costly, but he also halted all new permits for LNG export terminals. This decision left our European allies wondering if they could continue to count on American energy if the Biden administration wasn’t going to allow new export terminals to come online. To add insult to injury, President Biden apparently got this bright idea from climate activists on TikTok.
Fortunately, the Trump administration lifted President Biden’s LNG export terminal restrictions and repealed dozens of anti-energy regulations. Congress stepped up, too, and passed my Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to erase BOEM’s rule requiring our energy producers to re-map the ocean floor.
Under the Trump administration’s pro-energy policies, America’s LNG exports are expected to more than double by 2029. Our allies know they can count on Louisianians to deliver the fuel they need to keep their economies moving as our brave pilots work to eliminate terrorists in the Middle East – and well into the future.
The world has long known that it can count on Louisiana to be the most interesting state in America. But many world leaders now understand that they can count on Louisiana to be something more: The world’s premier energy supplier.