Lake Charles Exports, LLC-FE Dkt. No. - 16-110-LNG

The Office of Fossil Energy gives notice of receipt of an Application filed August 15, 2016, by Lake Charles Exports, LLC (LCE), seeking a long-term multi-contract authorization to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) up to the equivalent of 121 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries, and to Non-Free Trade Agreement (NFTA) countries.  The authorizations are for a 25-year period for the FTA portion and a 20-year period for the NFTA portion with both commencing on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date the authorization is issued.  LCE proposes to export LNG from the existing Lake Charles Terminal located in Lake Charles, Louisiana to any country that has, or in the future will have, the capacity to import LNG via ocean-going carrier, with which the United States has, or in the future enters into, an FTA requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and/or NFTA countries, with which trade is not prohibited by United States law or policy.  A Federal Register notice for the NFTA portion of the application will be issued. 

As part of this analysis in issuing this Order, DOE will consider the following two studies examining the cumulative impacts of exporting domestically produced LNG:

• Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas Exports on U.S. Energy Markets, conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration upon DOE’s request (2014 EIA LNG Export Study); and
• The Macroeconomic Impact of Increasing U.S. LNG Exports, conducted jointly by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Oxford Economics, on behalf of DOE (2015 LNG Export Study)

Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental documents:

• Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15, 2014).
• Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 32260 (June 4, 2014).