Hill: Increasing U.S. Natural Gas Exports ‘Benefits Consumers and Our National Security’Hill says legislation will ‘benefit our allies…and boost Arkansas’s economy’
Washington, DC,
January 28, 2015
Congressman French Hill (AR-2) released the following statement today after the House passed the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act (H.R. 351) by a bipartisan vote of 277 – 133: “Today we took another step towards eliminating needless U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) delays to approving essential liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. Increasing U.S. LNG exports will benefit our allies by adding a new, reliable source of energy to the global market and boost Arkansas’s economy through job creation, especially in engineering, manufacturing, and construction. It is time for America to lead the world in energy production and exports. I will continue to support legislation that boosts our goal of North American energy independence and benefits consumers and our national security interests.” H.R. 351 will help expedite the approval of U.S. LNG export projects by placing a 30-day deadline on DOE to issue a final decision on applications following the conclusion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental review of the LNG facilities. Reports have shown that exporting natural gas will create over 18,000 jobs in Arkansas and contribute over $3 billion to Arkansas’s economy. About Congressman French Hill J. French Hill, 58, is the 22nd Member of Congress to represent central Arkansas in the U.S. House of Representatives. A ninth generation Arkansan, he was elected on November 4, 2014, and will serve on the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services for the 114th Congress. Prior to his Congressional service, Mr. Hill was actively engaged in the Arkansas business community for two decades as a commercial banker and investment manager, and was founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Delta Trust & Banking Corp in Little Rock. Prior to his community banking work in Arkansas, Mr. Hill served as a senior official in the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Prior to his Executive Branch Service, from 1982-84, Mr. Hill served on the staff of then-U.S. Senator John Tower (R-TX) as well as on the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs. Mr. Hill is a magna cum laude graduate in Economics from Vanderbilt University. He is married to the former Martha McKenzie of Dallas, Texas, and they have a daughter, Sarah Elizabeth McKenzie Hill, and a son, William Payne Hill. The Hill family resides in Little Rock. |
