The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) gives notice of receipt of an application (Application), filed on December 22, 2017, by Galveston Bay LNG, LLC (Galveston Bay LNG), seeking a long-term multi-contract authorization to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) up to the equivalent of 785.7 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year to Free Trade Agreement (FTA) countries, and to Non-Free Trade Agreement (NFTA) countries.  Authorization is for a 20-year period commencing on the earlier of the date of first export or seven years from the date the authorization is issued. Galveston Bay LNG proposes to export LNG from its proposed Galveston Bay LNG Project, to be located in Texas City, Texas, to any country that has, or in the future will have, the capacity to import LNG via ocean-going carrier, with which the United States has, or in the future enters into, an FTA requiring national treatment for trade in natural gas, and/or NFTA countries, with which trade is not prohibited by United States law or policy. A Federal Register Notice will not be issued for the FTA portion of the application.

DOE will consider one or more of the following studies examining the cumulative impacts of exporting domestically produced LNG:

• Effect of Increased Levels of Liquefied Natural Gas on U.S. Energy Markets, conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration upon DOE’s request (2014 EIA LNG Export Study);
• The Macroeconomic Impact of Increasing U.S. LNG Exports, conducted jointly by the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and Oxford Economics, on behalf of DOE (2015 LNG Export Study); and
• Macroeconomic Outcomes of Market Determined Levels of U.S. LNG Exports, conducted by NERA Economic Consulting on behalf of DOE (2018 LNG Export Study)

Additionally, DOE will consider the following environmental documents: 

• Addendum to Environmental Review Documents Concerning Exports of Natural Gas From the United States, 79 FR 48132 (Aug. 15, 2014) and
• Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Perspective on Exporting Liquefied Natural Gas from the United States, 79 FR 32260 (June 4, 2014).