Fearing Iran entry, US congressmen favour export of natural gas to India - Indian Express

PTI : Washington, Sat Apr 27 2013, 10:15 hrs The US Department of Energy is in the final stages of taking a policy decision on export of natural gas to countries like India. (Reuters) Top American lawmakers have strongly favoured export of US natural gas to India, in the absence of which, they said, the energy starved nation might be forced to join the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. During a Congressional hearing on export of US natural gas, the lawmakers argued that it is in the national security interest of the US to export the excess natural gas to its allies like India and Japan and also to its European allies so as to reduce their dependence on Russian gas. "Without US natural gas, the Indians might have to participate in the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. We have given the Indians a reasonable alternative. We should use it," Congressman Ted Poe said. Chairing a Congressional hearing on "Natural Gas Exports: Economic and Geopolitical Opportunities", Poe said, "Liberalising our natural gas export policy will provide certainty to allies and economic partners around the world that the United States is an advocate of free trade." Congressman Brad Sherman said it was in national security interests of the US to provide secure natural gas supplies to its allies and to prevent India from turning to Iran for a natural gas pipeline. Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao, in an editorial in The Wall Street Journal this month had said that export of US natural gas to India "would provide a steady, reliable supply of clean energy that would help reduce India's crude oil imports from the Middle East and provide reliable energy to India". Poe said cheap US natural gas exports would reduce the Russian stranglehold on European market and give the US more political clout at the expense of Russia. "In the Pacific, allies like Japan and Korea pay very high prices for natural gas. They would be immediate importers of cheaper US natural gas if we were allowed to sell it to them," he said. ... contd. ALSO READ Green card only for US varsity graduates with job offer? How to handle home loan defaults PIL puts Tata Motors, state govt in the dock over Nano deal Maruti Suzuki Q4 net jumps 80% Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views, opinions and comments posted are your, and are not endorsed by this website. You shall be solely responsible for the comment posted here. The website reserves the right to delete, reject, or otherwise remove any views, opinions and comments posted or part thereof. You shall ensure that the comment is not inflammatory, abusive, derogatory, defamatory &/or obscene, or contain pornographic matter and/or does not constitute hate mail, or violate privacy of any person (s) or breach confidentiality or otherwise is illegal, immoral or contrary to public policy. Nor should it contain anything infringing copyright &/or intellectual property rights of any person(s). via Business - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHNJ3czw2SUngjgLhAoMpuUWSY-3Q&url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fearing-iran-entry-us-congressmen-favour-export-of-natural-gas-to-india/1108443/

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