Five Democrats joined all Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee to pass legislation on Wednesday that would speed up the federal government’s review of natural-gas export applications. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Cory Gardner (R., Colo.), has gained momentum in light of Russia’s encroachment into Ukraine, which is one of several European nations heavily dependent upon Russia for natural gas. The bill will be considered on the floor—and likely pass—sometime in May, Mr. Gardner said in an interview. The bill would require the Energy Department to make a decision on pending applications no later than 90 days after the comment period ends for each particular application or 90 days after enactment of the bill. As originally drafted, the measure automatically approved all of the applications already pending before the department. The committee also agreed to an amendment offered by Rep. Mike Doyle (D., Pa.) that would allow […]