Biden administration affirms Trump-era natural gas export decision

The Energy Department affirmed a decision made under the Trump administration in 2020 to export liquified natural gas from Alaska.

The Biden administration received criticism from environmental groups on Thursday after quietly reaffirming the original authorization given by the Trump administration. The Energy Department's decision on the project was slightly amended to include more environmental restrictions, however. 

The latest Energy decision will allow the Alaska Gasoline Development Corp. to move forward with a $39 billion project to send natural gas to countries that the United States does not have free trade agreements with.

President Joe Biden has criticized former President Donald Trump's energy policies, but the president has been heavily scrutinized for his own energy policies.

"President Trump, to his credit, presided over the greatest energy renaissance in our history," Oil and Gas Association President Tim Stewart told the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show last year. "Right before the pandemic, we were producing 13 million barrels [of oil] a day. For all intents and purposes ... we were a net exporter of energy." 

The Biden administration's policies put oil production up to 1.5 million barrels a day behind the Trump administration, according to Stewart.