A heat exchanger and transfer pipes at Dominion Energy’s Cove Point LNG Terminal in Lusby, Md., June 12, 2014. The Biden administration is delaying consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

A heat exchanger and transfer pipes at Dominion Energy’s Cove Point LNG Terminal in Lusby, Md., June 12, 2014. The Biden administration is delaying consideration of new natural gas export terminals in the United States, even as gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Biden LNG pause doesn’t impact Alaska LNG Project

The move nonetheless drew criticism from the state’s congressional delegation

A “temporary pause” on export decisions for liquefied natural gas announced by the Biden-Harris Administration on Friday doesn’t affect the long-awaited Alaska LNG Project, but the move drew criticism from all three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation.

A statement posted online by the federal administration said “climate change is the existential threat of our time.” It said that an evolving understanding of the need and supply of LNG — as well as the impact of methane on the planet — prompts a need to review the analyses used by the federal Department of Energy to make those authorizations.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in a Friday news release said the move will damage “the American workforce” and national security.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“Fortunately, the Alaska LNG project already received all of its export permits and remains a viable source of clean-burning energy for America and our allies,” he said in the release.

He said in the release that American export of natural gas is important to reduce global reliance on Russian exports. That sentiment was echoed by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in her own Friday release.

Murkowski said that American LNG is important for creating domestic jobs and revenues and provides “an alternative to Russia.”

U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in a third release also published Friday similarly criticized the decision.

“We should be celebrating the fact that America is exporting more energy, instead of forcing ourselves and our allies to rely on other countries with worse labor and environmental standards for their future energy needs,” Peltola said. “While this decision does not impact the existing export approval for the Alaska LNG project, it does send a message that future LNG development in Alaska is at risk.”

The Alaska LNG Project, per previous Clarion reporting, is a proposed 800-mile pipeline that would move gas from the North Slope to Nikiski — to be shipped overseas.

The project would also require the construction of a gas treatment plant on the North Slope and a liquefaction facility in Nikiski.

The project has historically been championed by Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche, who said “the Kenai is ready” during a June presentation by the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation in Kenai.

At that meeting, corporation president, Frank Richards, said that several factors supported the project finally coming to fruition. He cited increased demand for energy not from Russia, approval from the Biden administration, and demand for the product in Southcentral Alaska — which is facing a shortage of natural gas as soon as 2027.

Environmental concerns and questions about a contemporary reinvestment in oil and gas were raised at the meeting.

Larry Persily, who describes himself as a journalist focused on oil and gas issues, resource development, taxes and the state’s unsolved fiscal problems, has long criticized the project.

During a presentation in November to the Kenai Peninsula Showcase, titled “Gasonomics,” he spoke about the “extreme unlikelihood” of the project ever coming to pass. He cited declining interest in Asian markets and tremendous cost of construction.

Asian markets have regularly been described as a key element of the project by Sen. Sullivan. He has made multiple trips — most recently in June — to Japan and South Korea to develop relationships connected to Alaska LNG. The Wall Street Journal in July published a story that said Japanese and South Korean buyers aren’t interested in Alaska LNG.

More information about the Alaska LNG Project can be found at alaska-lng.com.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsuaclarion.com.

More in News

Kachemak Bay is seen from the Homer Spit in March 2019. (Homer News file photo)
Toxin associated with amnesic shellfish poisoning not detected in Kachemak Bay mussels

The test result does not indicate whether the toxin is present in other species in the food web.

Superintendent Clayton Holland speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 7, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Federal education funding to be released after monthlong delay

The missing funds could have led to further cuts to programming and staff on top of deep cuts made by the KPBSD Board of Education this year.

An angler holds up a dolly varden for a photograph on Wednesday, July 16. (Photo courtesy of Koby Etzwiler)
Anchor River opens up to Dollies, non-King salmon fishing

Steelhead and rainbow trout are still off limits and should not be removed from the water.

A photo provided by NTSB shows a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, that crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska, Sept. 12, 2023. The plane was weighed down by too much moose meat and faced drag from a set of antlers mounted on its right wing strut, federal investigators said on Tuesday.
Crash that killed husband of former congresswoman was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, NTSB says

The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, crashed shortly after takeoff in a mountainous area of southwestern Alaska on Sept. 12, 2023.

Armor rock from Sand Point is offloaded from a barge in the Kenai River in Kenai, Alaska, part of ongoing construction efforts for the Kenai River Bluff Stabilization Project on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Work continues on Kenai Bluff stabilization project

The wall has already taken shape over a broad swath of the affected area.

An aerial photo over Grewingk Glacier and Glacier Spit from May 2021 shows a mesodinium rubrum bloom to the left as contrasted with the normal ocean water of Kachemak Bay near Homer. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Greer/Beryl Air)
KBNERR warns of potential harmful algal bloom in Kachemak Bay

Pseudo-nitzchia has been detected at bloom levels in Kachemak Bay since July 4.

Fresh-picked lettuces are for sale at the final Homer Farmers Market of the year on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
USDA ends regional food program, pulls $6M from Alaska businesses

On July 15, the Alaska Food Policy Council was notified that the USDA had terminated the Regional Food Business Center Program “effective immediately.”

Exit Glacier is photographed on June 22, 2018. (Photo by Erin Thompson/Peninsula Clarion)
2 rescued by park service near Exit Glacier

The hikers were stranded in the “Exit Creek Prohibited Visitor Use Zone.”

Two new cars purchased by the Soldotna Senior Center to support its Meals on Wheels program are parked outside of the center in Soldotna, Alaska, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. (Camille Botello/Peninsula Clarion)
State restores grant funding to Soldotna Senior Center

In recent years, the center has been drawing down its organizational reserves to provide some essential services.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in