Proposed Critical Infrastructure Bill May Prevent Foreign Investment in U.S. LNG Market
In a letter to U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), the president of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America has expressed concern that H.R. 4881, a bill that would bar foreign ownership and control of “national defense critical infrastructure” in the United States, may preclude capital investment opportunities in natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals in North America. “The United States does not have the luxury of discouraging investment in natural gas supply and infrastructure,” Donald F. Santa Jr. says, adding that countries such as Canada and Trinidad play a vital role in the U.S. natural gas market. Santa, a former FERC Commissioner, also says that the proposed legislation might hamper efforts to alleviate the natural gas shortfall in the United States and hurt the nation’s economic prospects in the future. Santa’s letter to Hastert is here.