A top U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) official on Thursday defended President Joe Biden's pause on approvals of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports at a Senate hearing called by a fellow Democrat who said he will investigate the decision.
Deputy U.S. Energy Secretary David Turk told the Senate energy committee that the DOE will finish the review as quickly as possible but it he could not predict a timeline other than it would take "months, not years."
A U.S. official earlier on Thursday told Reuters "I don't think we're concerned at all about our ability to meet (European) demand."
Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from natural gas producer West Virginia who called the hearing, said the pause sends the wrong signal to allies in Europe and Asia.
The pause signals "the wrong direction for our country, a very wrong direction," Manchin said.
Persons:
Energy David M, Turk, Joe Biden's, Biden, David Turk, Joe Manchin, West, Manchin
Organizations:
Energy, Green Energy Africa, Cape Town International Convention, U.S . Department of Energy, DOE, U.S . Energy, U.S, Thursday, Reuters, LNG
Locations:
Cape Town , South Africa, United States, Europe, Ukraine, West Virginia, Asia