U.S. Sen. Mark Begich welcomed a new report from the U.S. Department of Energy looking at how U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) is exported.

Designed to be used as the foundation for upcoming LNG export license decisions, the report finds that exporting LNG is an overall benefit to the U.S. economy through a variety of conditions and economic scenarios. DOE released the report today and opened it up for public comment.

Importantly, the study did not include LNG export from Alaska because, as stated in the federal notice, “there is no natural gas pipeline interconnection between Alaska and the Lower-48 states, the macroeconomic consequences of exporting LNG from Alaska are likely to be discrete and separate from those of exporting from the Lower-48 states.”

“This report will reassure Alaska producers and ratepayers that our export opportunities are absolutely still on the table,” said Begich. “A large-scale LNG export project in Alaska dramatically improves the economics of a gasline from the North Slope, helping bring down energy prices for Alaskans and creating jobs.”

Begich also highlighted the good timing of the report as Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., takes over the chairmanship of the Senate Energy Committee. “This report reinforces Sen. Wyden’s take-away from his August Alaska trip – it makes sense to export Alaska gas.”

The full report can be found here