Austin News

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz has expressed approval following the Trump administration's decision to grant a license to Delfin LNG, LLC. This license allows for the construction and operation of a deepwater port near the Texas-Louisiana border for exporting Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the United States.

Senator Cruz remarked, "This project was needlessly delayed by the radical environmentalists in the Biden administration. Getting it approved was a top priority of mine as the leader of the Senate Commerce Committee. I am grateful to see Secretary Duffy follow through on a promise he made to me - and to have directed MARAD and the Coast Guard to complete Delfin’s deepwater port license review post-haste. I am proud to work with President Trump and his administration to support Texas’ robust oil and natural gas industry to and reestablish American energy dominance globally."

Cruz has been an advocate for enhancing America's energy capabilities and safeguarding its traditional energy sectors. He criticized previous administrative actions that he believed hindered the oil and gas industries, calling for faster permit processing for LNG projects.

In April 2024, Senator Cruz, alongside Senator Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, requested an extension for Delfin LNG LLC’s export approval due to what they saw as delays caused by climate lobby influences during Biden's presidency. During Sean Duffy's nomination hearing for Secretary of Transportation, Cruz highlighted perceived hostility from Biden’s administration towards oil and gas sectors, emphasizing past failures in approving deepwater port licenses while urging expedited reviews.

Additionally, Senator Cruz contributed language in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 aimed at increasing transparency and speeding up MARAD's process of issuing deepwater port licenses.

In February 2023, Cruz reached out to MARAD seeking clarity on prolonged decision-making times regarding applications for ports meant for exporting oil and natural gas. At that point, four out of seven pending applications were tied to projects off Texas' coast.