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‘Molecules
of freedom’?! US Energy Department rebrands LNG as ‘freedom gas’
RT,
29
May, 2019
The
US Energy Department has renamed liquefied natural gas (LNG) “freedom
gas” in a last-ditch effort to convince European and Asian markets
its product is superior to cheaper supplies piped in from Russia.
The
energy agency trumpeted the expansion of its Freeport, Texas LNG
Terminal, boasting of a new facility constructed specifically to
supply so-called “freedom gas” to those countries that don’t
have a free trade agreement with the US – huge markets like China
and the EU that are, coincidentally, about to increase their
purchases of cheaper Russian gas through nearly-completed pipelines
due to open by the end of the year.
“Increasing
export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to
spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving America’s
allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy,” US
Undersecretary of Energy Mark Menezes proclaimed at the Clean Energy
Ministerial meeting in Vancouver, Canada.
Lest
anyone miss this bold rebranding of natural gas – hardly “clean”
energy, given that much of the bountiful US supply comes from
hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a practice so environmentally
destructive several states have banned it – Assistant Secretary for
Fossil Energy Steven Winberg was even more hyperbolic with his praise
for the quintessentially American fuel:
I
am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to
promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of
US freedom to be exported to the world.
A
fourth liquefaction train will be constructed at the Quintana, Texas
facility, allowing the Freeport terminal to lavish 0.72 billion cubic
feet per day of pure, uncut freedom on these hitherto-benighted
nations, a press release boasted, touting its promise for the “energy
security of our allies around the globe.”
With
Europe soon to have another route of cheaper Russian gas supply via
the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, US energy supply doesn’t have much to
recommend it, except rhetoric. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has
leaned heavily on that, warning that Russia is building the pipeline
to use energy as “leverage over Europe.” Despite the US’ best
efforts at intimidating Gazprom’s European partners with the threat
of sanctions, and some Eastern European nations echoing Washington’s
position, Nord Stream 2 is on track for completion, though.
While
the US has become the world’s largest producer of natural gas,
China – the second-largest global buyer – has threatened to
impose a tariff as the trade war escalates between Beijing and
Washington. Meanwhile, the Power of Siberia pipeline from Russia is
also nearing completion, and Gazprom has its eye on becoming China’s
largest supplier by 2035.
So when @SecretaryPerry asked “What’s the cost of freedom?”. I guess the answer is about $2.60 per MMBtu.
And I guess DOE is going to start referring to venting and flaring as “excess of freedom” now?
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Personally, I don’t think this goes far enough and would like to request that @EIAgov change its monthly data metric from mcf (million cubic feet) to musf (molecules of US freedom).
Seems apt - they've already demonstrated that freedom is a finite resource.
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