Yesterday, in a letter available here, the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) “called on Energy Secretary Chu to approve all pending applications for LNG export terminals,” as the Wall Street Journal reports.

Here’s what manufacturers, the chemical industry and energy producer organizations are saying about common sense natural gas export policies, which, as MSC CEO Kathryn Klaber notes, “will lead to more American job creation, economic growth, a reduction in our trade imbalance, and cleaner air.”

AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL (ACC)

  • Cal Dooley, President and CEO: “We are encouraged by recent domestic shale gas discoveries, which are driving a renaissance in our industry. After years of high and volatile natural gas prices, the new economics of shale gas create a competitive advantage for U.S. chemical manufacturers, which can lead to greater investment, job creation and industry growth. That said, we put our confidence in the free market to determine natural gas supply and demand. We would oppose legislation that attempts to restrict exports of natural gas.” (Release, 1/9/13)

AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE (API)

  • Jack Gerard, President and CEO: “Short-sighted efforts by a few industrial users to restrict exports in an apparent attempt to control prices would deprive American families of the wider benefits of lower costs and increased job creation. America’s newfound abundance of natural gas resources is a boon to all domestic manufacturing through lower energy costs, lower costs on raw materials and reduced heating bills. … Our vast resources have allowed us to become the world’s biggest producer of natural gas. Misguided economic theories and ill-considered policies could have disastrous consequences, disrupting the benefits to the wider economy, the trend of bringing manufacturers back home, and imperiling the billions of revenue energy investments bring to our government.” (Release, 1/10/13)

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MANUFACTURERS (NAM)

  • Ross Eisenberg, Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy: “The dramatic increase in the domestic natural gas resource base has reduced the likelihood of the need for significant LNG imports. Some now believe the United States could eventually become a net exporter of natural gas. An adequate supply of natural gas is needed to meet the growing demand of the U.S. manufacturing sector in a recovering economy. The NAM strongly supports federal and state policies to accommodate growth in domestic natural gas production. We further believe abundant domestic natural gas resources can fuel a manufacturing renaissance in the United States. The NAM fundamentally supports free trade and open markets. We support a natural gas policy process that is open, transparent and objective.” (Release, 1/10/13)

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

  • Thomas Donohue, President and CEO: “Proceeding swiftly and responsibly to develop more American energy can help us immeasurably with our fiscal problems, but it can also do so much more for our country. We have more oil, gas, and coal than any other country and we are now the largest single natural gas producer in the world. We are now in a position to export liquefied natural gas and coal, and thus reducing our trade deficit and bringing billions of dollars into the United States. The abundance of affordable natural gas is attracting good manufacturing jobs back to America, particularly in the chemical and steel industries. All of this adds up to a lot of jobs, growth, improved national security, and more revenues for government.” (Release, 1/10/13)