BORDER SHOWDOWN: Biden Stops Approval of LNG Exports in Retaliation of Texas’ Defiance, Says Land Commissioner

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham says President Joe Biden’s recent decision to stop approval of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports looks “more like retaliation than a sound policy decision.” Biden’s announcement came one day after “Texas took a bold stand in defending our border against foreign invaders,” the commissioner added.

President Biden announced on January 26 that he was placing a “temporary pause on pending decisions of Liquified Natural Gas exports,” Breitbart News reported. January 26 was also the DHS deadline sent in a letter to the State of Texas demanding access to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. The State has not budged on opening up the park seized earlier this month.

“Texas is the largest exporter of natural gas in the nation and the third in the world,” Commissioner Buckingham told Breitbart Texas. “This reckless federal decision made merely a day after Texas took a bold stand in defending our border against foreign invaders appears more like retaliation than a sound policy decision.”

Buckingham serves as commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, overseeing over 13 million acres of mineral-rich land. Severance taxes from production rights are used by the State of Texas to fund education.

“I will always defend Texas’ right to energy independence and stand up for the hardworking families and countless Texas schoolchildren this move will harm,” the commissioner stated.

Buckingham explained that Texas is the largest exporter of natural gas in the United States and the third-largest in the world.

President Biden claims his action was in line with his policies to “tackle the climate crisis at home and abroad.”While MAGA Republicans willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis, condemning the American people to a dangerous future, my Administration will not be complacent,” the president stated. “We will not cede to special interests.”

Late last year, Commissioner Buckingham certified an island in the Rio Grande as belonging to the State of Texas. This cleared the way for the Texas Military Department and the Department of Public Safety to clear Fronton Island and remove a critical asset from drug and human smuggling cartel operations, Breitbart Texas reported.

“Fronton Island, known as the single most dangerous spot on the southern border, is cleared to patrol,” the commissioner said at the time.

“For decades, Fronton Island has been utilized by the Mexican Drug Cartels as a refuge when fleeing from rival cartels and the Mexican Military,” Texas DPS spokesman Lieutenant Chris Olivarez told Breitbart Texas. “Still, it has primarily been used to facilitate transnational criminal activity involving human and drug smuggling.”

“With the authorization through Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, the State of Texas has taken over the island by clearing and fortifying it, allowing DPS and the National Guard to gain operational control in preventing cross-border crime,” Olivarez stated.

In January, the Texas Military Department, under Operation Lone Star orders from Governor Greg Abbott, seized the City of Eagle Pass-owned Shelby Park and ejected Border Patrol agents.

During the month of December, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended a record-shattering 71,000 migrants, Breitbart Texas reported. The Del Rio Sector’s prior record was set in August 2022 when agents apprehended 52,735 migrants.

In the two weeks surrounding the Christmas and New Year holidays, Del Rio Sector agents apprehended nearly 35,000 migrants (2,500 per day), Breitbart Texas reported.

The DHS responded by sending two letters to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanding the State allow Border Patrol agents to access the park. Texas defied the order from Biden’s Department of Homeland Security and doubled down on placing additional razor-wire barriers in the park.

Governor Abbott responded last year to the Biden administration’s “attack” on the state’s energy production capabilities following an EPA proposal to redesignate the Permian Basin.

“The Permian Basin is the crown jewel of Texas’ mighty oil and gas industry, and the State of Texas will do whatever it takes to protect its production and the hundreds of thousands of good-paying energy jobs in our state,” said Governor Abbott. “While it is encouraging news that the Biden Administration has backed down on this disastrous plan, Texas remains ready to fight any job-killing attacks on our critical oil and gas industry. Texas is—and always will be—a pro-energy state, and we will keep a watchful eye for any potential changes or attacks by President Biden that could jeopardize affordable energy prices and the livelihoods of hardworking Texans.”

The Texas oil and gas industry continues to be a key factor in the state’s economy. Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association, reported the industry added more than 15,000 jobs to the Texas economy in 2023.

“2023 was an incredibly solid year for upstream oil and gas job growth, despite global economic uncertainties that have held back strong price signals, and the year finished with a continued upward push on job expansion,” Staple said in a written statement earlier this month. “These oil and gas jobs, along with the associated activity in local communities that generates tremendous growth opportunities, benefit every part of Texas and continue to be the cornerstone of the Texas economy.”