118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7176 

AN ACT 

To repeal restrictions on the export and import of natural 

gas. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Unlocking our Domes3 tic LNG Potential Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ADVANCING UNITED STATES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP. 

5 Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b) 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) by striking subsections (a) through (c); 

8 (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 

9 subsections (a) and (b), respectively; 

10 (3) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub11 section (c), and moving such subsection after sub12 section (b), as so redesignated; 

13 (4) in subsection (a), as so redesignated, by 

14 amending paragraph (1) to read as follows: ‘‘(1) The 

15 Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (in this sub16 section referred to as the ‘Commission’) shall have 

17 the exclusive authority to approve or deny an appli18 cation for authorization for the siting, construction, 

19 expansion, or operation of a facility to export nat20 ural gas from the United States to a foreign country 

21 or import natural gas from a foreign country, in22 cluding an LNG terminal. In determining whether to 

23 approve or deny an application under this para24 graph, the Commission shall deem the exportation or 

25 importation of natural gas to be consistent with the 

26 public interest. Except as specifically provided in 
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1 this Act, nothing in this Act is intended to affect 

2 otherwise applicable law related to any Federal 

3 agency’s authorities or responsibilities related to fa4 cilities to import or export natural gas, including 

5 LNG terminals.’’; and 

6 (5) by adding at the end the following new sub7 section: 

8 ‘‘(d)(1) Nothing in this Act limits the authority of 

9 the President under the Constitution, the International 

10 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

11 seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et 

12 seq.), part B of title II of the Energy Policy and Conserva13 tion Act (42 U.S.C. 6271 et seq.), the Trading With the 

14 Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.), or any other provi15 sion of law that imposes sanctions on a foreign person or 

16 foreign government (including any provision of law that 

17 prohibits or restricts United States persons from engaging 

18 in a transaction with a sanctioned person or government), 

19 including a country that is designated as a state sponsor 

20 of terrorism, to prohibit imports or exports. 

21 ‘‘(2) In this subsection, the term ‘state sponsor of ter22 rorism’ means a country the government of which the Sec23 retary of State determines has repeatedly provided sup24 port for international terrorism pursuant to— 
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1 ‘‘(A) section 1754(c)(1)(A) of the Export Con2 trol Reform Act of 2018 (50 U.S.C. 4318(c)(1)(A)); 

3 ‘‘(B) section 620A of the Foreign Assistance 

4 Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371); 

5 ‘‘(C) section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act 

6 (22 U.S.C. 2780); or 

7 ‘‘(D) any other provision of law.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives February 15, 

2024. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7176 

AN ACT 

To repeal restrictions on the export and import of 

natural gas.