Construction continues at the Cheniere Liquid Natural Gas plant in Portland, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2017. Stage one of the project broke ground on June 2015 and is scheduled to be in service in late 2018. Natural gas exports increased 36 percent amid the surge in production, making the nation a net natural gas exporter for the first time in nearly 60 years. Photo: JERRY LARA /San Antonio Express-News / San Antonio Express-News