Widespread development of natural gas export capability in the United States could be a huge boost to the U.S. economy, to natural gas infrastructure companies and to liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facilities that now are stymied by a disjointed global market for gas that currently has U.S. prices lagging below those in the rest of the world, according to Darcel Hulse, Sempra Energy's outgoing CEO for LNG operations.