US President Donald Trump has issued a Presidential Determination to accelerate the development of natural gas and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure, citing “critical” national defense requirements and the need to bolster allied energy security.
The directive, issued late Monday, invokes Section 303 of the Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950 to categorize gas transmission, processing, and storage facilities as “essential industrial resources” for national security.
The President underlined that current infrastructure deficits, including “inadequate pipelines and export capacity,” leave the United States and its strategic partners “dangerously exposed” to international commodity market volatility weaponized by “hostile foreign actors.”
The determination follows a 2025 National Energy Emergency declaration (Executive Order 14156), which sought to decouple US and allied reliance on foreign energy sources.
According to the memo, the White House determined that the US industry is unable to meet necessary capacity targets in a “timely manner” due to systemic “permitting delays, infrastructure bottlenecks, and financing constraints.”
By invoking the DPA, the US leader has authorized the Energy Secretary to bypass specific regulatory hurdles and utilize federal “purchases, purchase commitments, and financial support” to expedite project completions.
The President further noted that these federal interventions represent the “most cost-effective and practical” means to avert a technology shortfall that would “severely impair” the nation’s defense readiness.
The Secretary of Energy has been directed to immediately implement the order, leveraging all available financial instruments to facilitate the expansion of domestic liquefaction and critical distribution networks.
— KUNA
