American LNG First Act of 2026

119 HR 8020 IH: American LNG First Act of 2026 U.S. House of Representatives 2026-03-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8020 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 19, 2026 Mr. Perry (for himself, Mr. Roy , and Mr. Davidson ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To exempt certain vessels transporting liquefied natural gas from certain coastwise endorsement requirements, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American LNG First Act of 2026 . 2. Exemption from coastwise laws for vessels transporting liquefied natural gas (a) General eligibility requirements Section 12103 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (d) Exception for vessels transporting liquefied natural gas (1) In general Notwithstanding subsection (a), a certificate of documentation may be issued under this chapter for any vessel transporting methane, refrigerated liquid, commonly known as liquefied natural gas. (2) Certain vessels excluded Paragraph (1) shall not apply to— (A) a vessel that is owned, in whole or in part, by— (i) a Russian national; or (ii) the Government of the Russian Federation; (B) a Russian-flagged vessel; (C) a vessel for which any crewmember is a Russian national; (D) a vessel that is owned in whole or in part, by— (i) a Chinese national; or (ii) the Government of the People’s Republic of China; (E) a Chinese-flagged vessel; or (F) a vessel for which any crewmember is a Chinese national. . (b) Coastwise endorsement Section 12112(a)(2)(B) of title 46, United States Code, is amended— (1) in clause (ii) by striking or at the end; (2) in clause (iii) by striking and at the end and inserting or ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (iv) transports methane, refrigerated liquid, commonly known as liquefied natural gas; and .