I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6851 
To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to ban the export of 
natural gas produced in the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2025 
Mr. ESPAILLAT (for himself, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. TLAIB, and Ms. 
NORTON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to ban 
the export of natural gas produced in the United States, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Lowering American 
Energy Costs Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
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(1) the Federal Government has repeatedly 
found that natural gas exports lead to increased do-
mestic gas and electricity prices, as evidenced by— 
(A) a November 2025 analysis by the En-
ergy Information Administration, which pre-
dicts that natural gas prices in 2026 will be 16 
percent higher than in 2025 due to increased 
liquefied natural gas (referred to in this section 
as ‘‘LNG’’) exports; 
(B) a December 2024 study by the De-
partment of Energy, which determined that— 
(i) unconstrained exports of United 
States LNG are projected to increase 
wholesale domestic natural gas prices by 
31 percent by 2050, not accounting for the 
additional price impact of LNG exports on 
natural gas price volatility; 
(ii) volatility in the global natural gas 
market will further increase costs on do-
mestic consumers and industry as United 
States natural gas exports increase; 
(iii) United States households will pay 
up to an additional $122 per year on aver-
age in higher natural gas and electricity 
costs by 2050; and 
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(iv) the United States industrial sec-
tor 
will 
pay 
an 
additional 
$125,000,000,000 in higher energy costs 
by 2050 as a result of rising United States 
LNG exports; 
(C) a January 2024 report from the En-
ergy Information Administration, which found 
that, in the United States, the price of natural 
gas is the most important driver of wholesale 
electricity prices because natural gas is often 
the highest-cost fuel for electricity generation; 
(D) a 2018 study by the Department of 
Energy, which found that ‘‘producing incre-
mental natural gas volumes to support natural 
gas exports will increase the marginal cost of 
supplying natural gas and therefore raise do-
mestic natural gas prices.’’; and 
(E) a 2012 study by the Energy Informa-
tion Administration, which found that ‘‘in-
creased natural gas exports lead to increased 
natural gas prices.’’ and that ‘‘larger export lev-
els lead to larger domestic price increases, while 
rapid increases in export levels lead to large ini-
tial price increases.’’; 
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(2) according to research by Public Citizen, 
from January 2025 through September 2025, house-
holds in the United States paid $12,000,000,000 
more for natural gas than from the same period in 
2024, a 22 percent price increase that translates to 
a roughly $124 price hike for the average household; 
(3) according to the Institute for Energy Eco-
nomics and Financial Analysis, surging United 
States LNG exports from September 2021 to De-
cember 2022 led to the sharpest rise of wholesale 
gas prices in over a decade, costing domestic con-
sumers $111,000,000,000 in higher energy bills; 
(4) the United States is already the largest pro-
ducer of natural gas and largest exporter of LNG in 
the world, and continues to set records for LNG ex-
ports, including that— 
(A) in 2025, the United States had mul-
tiple record-setting months for LNG exports; 
and 
(B) in October 2025, the United States be-
came the first country in the world to surpass 
10,000,000 metric tons worth of LNG exports 
in a single month; 
(5) natural gas is primarily composed of meth-
ane, which is a dangerous greenhouse gas and the 
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second-largest contributor to atmospheric warming; 
and 
(6) natural gas infrastructure, including pipe-
lines and LNG terminals, lead to significant negative 
health outcomes for communities surrounding the 
pipelines and terminals, which is compounded by the 
fact that new natural gas infrastructure is dis-
proportionately sited in communities that already 
have polluting infrastructure. 
SEC. 3. DOMESTIC USE OF ENERGY SUPPLIES AND RE-
LATED MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Energy Policy and Conserva-
tion Act (42 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 101 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 102. DOMESTIC USE OF ENERGY SUPPLIES AND RE-
LATED MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT. 
‘‘(a) EXPORT RESTRICTIONS.—The President, by 
rule, under such terms and conditions as the President 
determines to be appropriate and necessary to carry out 
the purposes of this Act, shall restrict exports of natural 
gas for the purpose of keeping domestic energy costs low. 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION OF EXPORT OF NATURAL GAS.— 
‘‘(1) RULE.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 
President shall exercise the authority provided under 
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subsection (a) to promulgate a rule prohibiting the 
export of natural gas produced in the United States. 
‘‘(2) EXEMPTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In accordance with 
subparagraph (A), the President may exempt 
from a prohibition on the export of natural gas 
under paragraph (1) any natural gas exports 
that the President determines— 
‘‘(i) to be consistent with the national 
interest and will not unreasonably raise 
costs for residential consumers; or 
‘‘(ii) to be critical for the national se-
curity of— 
‘‘(I) the United States; or 
‘‘(II) a country that is a strategic 
international partner or ally of the 
United States. 
‘‘(B) CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.—Before 
any exemption issued by the President may go 
into effect, the exemption must be approved by 
a joint resolution of Congress.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents for the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 
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(42 U.S.C. prec. 6201) is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 101 the following: 
‘‘102. Domestic use of energy supplies and related materials and equipment.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 101 
of division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2016 (42 U.S.C. 6212a), is amended by striking 
subsections (b) through (d). 
Æ 
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