NE Washington News

Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member John Barrasso have criticized the International Energy Agency (IEA) for deviating from its core mission of promoting energy security.

According to the lawmakers, the IEA has been undermining energy security by discouraging sufficient investment in energy supplies and no longer providing policymakers with balanced assessments of energy and climate proposals. Instead, they believe the agency has become an "energy transition cheerleader."

Rodgers and Barrasso expressed concern about biased parties exploiting IEA's forecasts to advocate for policies that could undermine energy security. They specifically highlighted a decision made by President Biden to pause the permitting process for U.S. liquefied natural gas exports, citing IEA forecasts rather than the forecasts of the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration.

The lawmakers find it troubling that Deputy Secretary Turk justified the decision based on IEA's forecasts, which they consider to be outliers. They argue that this decision could have detrimental consequences on the future supply of U.S. LNG to developing countries with growing natural gas demand.

In their letter to Dr. Fatih Birol, Director of the IEA, Rodgers and Barrasso urged him to refocus the agency on its mission of promoting energy security. The lawmakers emphasized the importance of providing policymakers with accurate and balanced assessments to make informed decisions regarding energy and climate policies.

For more information, the full letter to Dr. Fatih Birol can be accessed on the Energy and Commerce Committee's website.