LNG answer to European energy woes, Hoeven says

OSLO, Norway, April 16 (UPI) -- The United States can help allay European energy security fears by making more liquefied natural gas available, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said from Oslo.

Hoeven met with Norwegian leaders to address energy security fears in the region. He said that, while Norway has a key role to play as one of the top oil and gas suppliers in the region, it can't solve the problem alone.

"The only real, long-term solution is to make additional liquefied natural gas supplies available, and this means the United States has a strong role to play as a world leader," he said Tuesday.

U.S. lawmakers have said the abundance of natural gas from shale reserves could help meet the demands of a European energy market dependent on Russia. Ongoing crises over Ukraine have put European natural gas supplies at risk because the bulk of their Russian gas supplies run through the Soviet-era transit system in Ukraine.

Hoeven last week called on Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz to expedite the export licenses for the more than 20 projects awaiting approval for LNG deliveries to countries without a U.S. free trade agreement.

In March, the U.S. government approved an export license for the Jordan Cove LNG project in Oregon. Deliveries there would target Asian markets and it's the private sector, not the federal government, that decides LNG destinations.

[Office of U.S. Sen. John Hoeven]