Concerns in Europe about the White House's decision to postpone gas terminals

To be clear, it seems unlikely that the Biden administration will jeopardize deliveries to customers outside the United States this year or anytime soon with this move. The decision does not apply to current exports and analysts say it will not stop a group of new LNG projects that have already been approved and are under construction. These are likely to significantly increase the United States' ability to export gas in the coming years.

The government says it needs time to determine whether additional LNG projects, which are still on the drawing board, would be in the public interest. Such an analysis would include weighing the greenhouse gas emissions that future projects would create, as well as their impact on the economy and national security. In a statement, President Biden said the pause on approvals “sees the climate crisis for what it is: the existential threat of our time.”

The Biden administration appears to be trying to reassure countries that have become dependent on American natural gas. This pause will have “no impact our ability to supply our allies in EuropeAsia or other recipients of already authorized U.S. exports,” the Department of Energy said in a statement Friday.

Analysts say that what could cause unrest to allies, especially in Europe, is the message that they may no longer be able to rely as heavily on supply from the United States in the coming years. “What this really highlights for Europe is that we are running out of options,” said Henning Gloystein, director of energy and climate change at Eurasia Group, a political risk firm.

While Russia now supplies Europe with liquefied natural gas, European leaders want to reduce these flows. The Eastern Mediterranean seems questionable as a major source in the future due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Apart from the United States, the other likely major producer of additional liquefied natural gas is Qatar, a small Middle Eastern emirate.

Mr. Gloystein said LNG from the United States is particularly attractive to European buyers because transportation distances from North America are relatively short and the terms offered by U.S. suppliers are much more flexible than those from most other sources. For example, they typically allow a buyer to easily resell gas, while other gas powers such as Qatar often impose restrictions. “The US is the one that matters,” he said.

Ana Swanson And Melissa Eddy reporting contributed.