Natural gas export is going to dramatically increase the price of electricity and of course also natural gas in the US. (Electricity prices "track natural gas prices" nationwide, according to the LA Times) Nobody knows how much but it could be a LOT because exporting natural gas was banned since the 1970s, so its a very big change.
Something similar happened in Australia a few years ago but it was not because of a trade deal, it was because of new facilities that were built which made it possible.
Australia, being sunnier and having less cold winters, was able to use solar power to fill in some of the loss, it seems.
Its very hard to say how much prices will rise. Higher wholesale prices elsewhere are not the exact same as prices here because the cost of transport is substantial. But prices here may as much as double and then continue moving upward, depending on how much people can generate themselves with solar - as well as cut consumption.
Its possible that some industries may not be able to continue to operate if energy becomes much more expensive.
I think that's possible, but luckily energy costs are not the highest cost for most industries..
Many energy costs have been generally higher elsewhere for some time, especially with gasoline, but in other countries, other costs like health care and education have been much lower.
A substantial number of Europeans are perpetually in debt to their local energy utility. That may happen here, and it will occur at the same time other prices, like health insurance, prescription drugs and rents are also rising.
This shift would be locked in by writing energy export into the TTIP trade deal (also known as Tafta)
The price is three to five times higher in some other countries than it is here.
No matter what the alleged trigger is, once the export begins, and a commodity becomes tradeable, WTO rules and jurisdiction kicks in and they may also require we export it to the highest bidder until its gone, according to the Peterson Institute.
Asia, for example has an insatiable appetite for energy.
Spot prices there are much higher than in the US.
This change will also enable a lot of older housing stock to be declared blighted, opening the door to massive real estate development under eminent domain laws- as older "obsolete" buildings are replaced with new. ("redevelopment")
They can actually do that on a huge scale now even when the motive is simply profit, and getting more tax receipts by replacing working people with richer people.
Lots of people will have to move. Where? Its going to be a major disaster for poor and middle class people who live in cities who have to re-rent at market rates. Many people who live in cities dont drive so suburbia isnt the option for them it is for others. To keep jobs many might have to commute many hours to and from work. This is already happening in San Francisco Bay Area as huge numbers of people have been forced outward, many as far as Central Valley cities like Stockton. More than a two hour commute each way.
TPTBs like these trade deals because it "takes it out of their hands", making it so they can do an end run around democracy, "forever".
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