S.Amdt. 2488

SA 2488. Mr. RUBIO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in subtitle H of title X, insert
the following:

SEC. 10____. NATURAL GAS EXPORTS TO ALLIES AND STRATEGIC
PARTNERS.

(a) Finding.--Congress finds that expediting the approval
of natural gas export applications for projects intended to
increase the capacity of the United States to export natural
gas to allies and strategic partners will--
(1) empower United States natural gas exporters to better
assist the strategic and national security interests of the
United States and allies and strategic partners of the United
States; and
(2) lead to job growth, economic development, and energy
security.
(b) Natural Gas Exports.--Section 3(c) of the Natural Gas
Act (15 U.S.C. 717b(c)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``(c) For purposes'' and inserting the
following:
``(c) Expedited Application and Approval Process.--
``(1) Definition of covered nation.--
``(A) In general.--In this subsection, the term `covered
nation'--
``(i) means an ally described in section 3(b)(2) of the
Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2753(b)(2)); and
``(ii) during the period described in subparagraph (B),
includes Cyprus, Moldova, Sweden, Taiwan, and Ukraine.
``(B) Period described.--The period described in this
subparagraph is the period--
``(i) beginning on the date of enactment of the Expediting
Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act of 2023; and
``(ii) ending on December 31, 2030, or such later date as
the President determines is in the interest of national
defense (as defined in section 702 of the Defense Production
Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4552)) or is otherwise in the
interests of the United States.
``(2) Expedited approval.--Except as provided in paragraph
(3), for purposes'';
(2) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by inserting ``the
exportation of natural gas to a covered nation,'' before ``or
the exportation''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Exclusions.--
``(A) Nations subject to sanctions.--The Commission shall
not grant expedited approval under paragraph (2) of an
application for exportation of natural gas to any nation that
is subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the
United States.
``(B) Nations designated by congress.--The Commission shall
not grant expedited approval under paragraph (2) of an
application for exportation of natural gas to any nation
designated by an Act of Congress as excluded from such
expedited approval for reasons of national security.''.
(c) Effect.--The amendments made by subsection (b) shall
not affect any Federal authorization to export natural gas
from the United States to a foreign nation or to import
natural gas into the United States from a foreign nation that
is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.
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