Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent

Approving pending LNG export terminals could increase U.S. domestic natural gas prices by 9 to 14 percent, leading to an estimated annual expenditure increase of $11-18 billion for U.S. households, businesses, and industry. The analysis suggests that average natural gas-heating households would see annual bill increases of $20 to $40, with higher impacts in cold-weather regions like Michigan and for low-income households who spend a disproportionate share of their income on energy.

• Approving pending LNG export terminals, which have a combined capacity of 11.6 billion cubic feet (bcf) per day (approximately 10 percent of 2023 total U.S. production), could raise domestic natural gas prices by 9 to 14 percent compared to a scenario where they are not built.
• The aggregate financial impact of approving these projects would be an increase in near-term annual natural gas expenditures for U.S. households, businesses, and industry on the order of $11-18 billion.
• Average American households that use natural gas for heating could see annual bill increases between $20 and $40. Residents in the Midwest, specifically Michigan, could experience winter heating bill increases exceeding $7 per month.
• Low-income American households are expected to be disproportionately affected by these cost increases because they spend approximately 8.6 percent of their total income on energy bills, which is nearly three times the rate of non-low-income households.

APA

Goldstein, R., Swint, M. F., & Busch, C. (2024). Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Cost-Impact-Of-Completing-Pending-LNG-Export-Projects_2.2.24-1.pdf

Chicago

Goldstein, Rachel, Mary Francis Swint, and Chris Busch. Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent. Energy Innovation, 2024. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Cost-Impact-Of-Completing-Pending-LNG-Export-Projects_2.2.24-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goldstein |first1=Rachel |last2=Swint |first2=Mary Francis |last3=Busch |first3=Chris |title=Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=February 2024 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Cost-Impact-Of-Completing-Pending-LNG-Export-Projects_2.2.24-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goldstein2024completing, author = {Goldstein, Rachel and Swint, Mary Francis and Busch, Chris}, title = {{Completing Pending LNG Export Projects Could Raise Natural Gas Prices for Americans by 9 to 14 Percent}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Cost-Impact-Of-Completing-Pending-LNG-Export-Projects_2.2.24-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }