,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #aija  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #bb1      
#bjbe,mr4 ,cruz 7for himself1 ,mr4      
,cornyn1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 and ,mr4 ,scott  
of ,south ,carolina7 introduced the     
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on          
,environment and ,public ,works  ,a     
,,bill  ,to address the effect of       
litigation on applications to export    
liquefied natural gas1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,protect ,,lng ,act 
of #bjbe4  #b4 ,definitions ,in this    
,act3 7#a7 ,covered application ,the    
term covered application means an       
application for-- 7,a7 an authorization 
to export natural gas under section     
#c7;a7 of the ,natural ,gas ,act 7#ae   
,u4,s4,c4 #gag;b7a772 or  7,b7 an       
authorization to site1 construct1       
expand1 or operate a covered facility   
under section #c7;e7 of the ,natural    
,gas ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #gag;b7e774    

7#b7 ,covered facility ,the term covered
 facility means a liquefied natural gas 
facility for which a proposal to site1  
construct1 expand1 or operate is        
required to be approved by-- 7,a7 the   
,secretary2 and  7,b7 7i7 the ,federal  
,energy ,regulatory ,commission2 or     
7ii7 the ,maritime ,administration4     
7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary    
means the ,secretary of ,energy4  #c4   
,effect of litigation on applications to
 export liquefied natural gas  7a7      
,effect of litigation ,a civil action   
relating to an environmental review     
under the ,natural ,gas ,act 7#ae       
,u4,s4,c4 #gag et seq47 or the ,national
 ,environmental ,policy ,act of #aifi   
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcba et seq47 with      
respect to a covered facility shall not 
affect the validity of a permit1        
license1 or approval issued to the      
covered facility that is the subject of 
the civil action4  7b7 ,remand2         
processing of covered applications ,if1 
in a civil action described in          

subsection 7a71 the environmental review
 for a permit1 license1 or approval     
issued to the covered facility that is  
the subject of the civil action is found
 by the applicable court to violate the 
,natural ,gas ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #gag  
et seq47 or the ,national ,environmental
 ,policy ,act of #aifi 7#db ,u4,s4,c4   
#dcba et seq47-- 7#a7 notwithstanding   
chapter #e or #g of title #e1 ,united   
,states ,code 7commonly referred to as  
the ,administrative ,procedure ,act71   
the applicable court shall not set aside
 or vacate the permit1 license1 or      
approval issued to the covered facility 
but instead remand the matter to the    
relevant ,federal agency to resolve the 
violation2 and  7#b7 the relevant       
,federal agency shall continue to       
process all covered applications4  #d4  
,action on covered applications  7a7    
,judicial review ,except for review in  
the ,supreme ,court of the ,united      
,states1 the court of appeals of the    
,united ,states for the circuit in which

 a covered facility is1 or will be1     
located pursuant to a covered           
application shall have original and     
exclusive jurisdiction over any civil   
action for the review of an order issued
 by a ,federal agency with respect to   
the covered application4  7b7 ,expedited
 review ,the applicable ,united ,states 
,court of ,appeals under subsection 7a7 
shall-- 7#a7 set any civil action       
brought under this subsection for       
expedited review2 and  7#b7 set the     
action on the docket as soon as         
practicable after the filing date of the
 initial pleading4  7c7 ,transfer of    
existing actions ,in the case of a      
covered application for which a petition
 for review has been filed as of the    
date of enactment of this ,act1 the     
petition shall be-- 7#a7 on a motion by 
the applicant1 transferred to the court 
of appeals of the ,united ,states in    
which the covered facility that is the  
subject of the covered application is1  
or will be1 located2 and  7#b7          

adjudicated in accordance with this     
section4  7d7 ,limitation on claims     
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 a claim arising under ,federal law 
seeking judicial review of a permit1    
license1 or approval issued by a        
,federal agency for a covered facility  
pursuant to a covered application shall 
be barred unless the claim is filed not 
later than #ij days after publication of
 a notice in the ,federal ,register     
announcing that the permit1 license1 or 
approval is final pursuant to the law   
under which the agency action is taken1 
unless a shorter time is specified in   
the ,federal law pursuant to which      
judicial review is allowed4  7e7        
,savings clause ,nothing in this section
 establishes a right to judicial review 
or places any limit on filing a claim   
that a person has violated the terms of 
a permit1 license1 or approval4