GAO filed eight FOIA lawsuits against DoE in the second half of 2024 for a buried LNG study—work that had already in fact been performed in 2023 but with an unwanted answer, prompting the Department to falsely announce in January 2024 that it would “begin,” and “initiate” such work, as a pretext for a green-group-demanded ‘pause’ on further exports. These suits also sought related transmittal and other records.
Now, after new Secretary Chris Wright announced earlier in 2025 that his team had discovered the buried study, the Trump DoE has made a “discretionary” release of these records the Biden DoE first denied existed.
Documents may be found here, here and here.
The long sordid tale is found here.