European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires), the chair of the subcommittee dealing with the very important issue that we are dealing with now in the Western Hemisphere and Venezuela, and I associate myself with his remarks in that regard.

I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney), who has been a strong advocate of energy diversification and renewable energy on the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1616, which is a bill I introduced with the ranking member, Representative Kinzinger, as well as a bill I sponsored towards the last days of the last Congress with Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, showing bipartisan and bicameral support for this effort.

Mr. Speaker, we saw again last weekend with the summary of the Mueller report coming forward just underscoring, once again, the attack that was made on our country by Russia. There is no mistaking it now. There was little mistake, given our intelligence sources at the time.

This is not only a way that Russia is seeking, number one, to attack the democracies of our country, but also to strategically create a wedge with the greatest asset we have, something that they certainly do not have.

That asset is the coalition we have with our European allies. It is one of our greatest strengths, and it is unique to this historic coalition.

One of the ways Russia is continuing to break up this Western coalition and cause great damage, is not just the attacks like they had in the U.S. over their election and democracy, but also wielding energy as a weapon to break up this great coalition we have, hurt democracies in Europe--particularly Eastern Europe and here--undercutting our interest in sharing the values that we have with our greatest allies.

This is something in terms of the energy resources we can't take for granted. We know that this is a time when the U.S. is a great exporter of energy in this world, and it is something that will benefit our economy going forward but will also benefit the diversification of energy in Europe as well, something that will advance their economy, but something also that will give them great protection against this Russian threat.

We also know that it is not just the exporting of this energy that is going to be of value, but this bill also targets renewable energy development as well, and that is something that brings the European countries together with the U.S., and also, together, sets us at a greater stage to compete worldwide.

We can work together exchanging technological advances. We can work together as we share investments in

each other's countries. This is something that will both help the U.S. economy as a major exporter, but also help our growth going forward. So, we need to work more closely. Specifically, this bill authorizes financing for private-sector investments both in energy security projects in the United States and likewise in the trade that will ensue in renewables.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the committee for taking such early action in this Congress. I think it states the priority nature of this, knowing that this is going to be something that enhances European security, our security, enhances our economy and theirs, and seeks to protect us. Because as they talk about projects like Nord Stream 2 in Germany, they are using right now that leverage to create a threat and to isolate countries like Ukraine from their basic energy economic development.

This is important in so many respects. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, showing the leadership of this bipartisan bill, to move it forward quickly.

I also want to recognize, again, Senator Murphy who has been such a leader of this on the Senate side. It is rare that we have such strong bipartisan support for a bill, as well as bicameral support. Let's go ahead and move this forward today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the European Energy Security and Diversification Act, which the Foreign Affairs Committee adopted unanimously earlier this month.

This bill, sponsored by Mr. Keating and Mr. Kinzinger, for whom we are deeply thankful, will help European and Eurasian countries reduce their reliance on Russian energy by providing diplomatic, political, technical, and financial support to projects that diversify energy sources and supply routes, enhance energy market integration across the region, and increase competition within the energy markets.

Europe imports nearly 40 percent of its natural gas from Russia. Some EU countries source as much as 100 percent of their gas from Moscow, which has weaponized its energy dominance in the region to coerce, intimidate, and influence the political decisions of countries that depend on it for their energy.

In 2006, 2009, and 2014, Vladimir Putin cut off gas to Ukraine, a country he has tried to dismember through his illegal annexation of Crimea and his continued aggression in the East.

Putin is now trying to build a massive new pipeline to Germany, the Nord Stream 2. This pipeline will increase Russian influence over Berlin, a key NATO ally and the largest economy in the EU, and also reduce Russia's reliance on Ukraine as a vital pipeline transit route to other European markets. This will deprive Ukraine of its critical transit fees, the proceeds of which are roughly equal to what it spends on its military.

It is not hard to see that this is a strategic play by Putin to increase pressure on Ukraine, where he continues to wage a war, and also get closer to Germany and dominate their energy.

This bill isn't just about helping Europe. This bill advances U.S. foreign policy and economic interests by strengthening our alliances with countries in the region and promoting U.S. energy as an appropriate alternative to the bondage of Russia.

The shale revolution and the repeal of the 1970s-era ban on crude oil sales in 2015 have unlocked America's abundant oil and natural gas reserves. These have enabled us to become the world's largest producer of oil and gas--some 13 million barrels a day now--giving our partners and allies a reliable alternative to unstable sources of energy.

We also lead the world in cutting-edge clean energy technologies, one of which, carbon sequester, is very important for the environment as well. Others are like nuclear and renewables, which this bill promotes.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would once again like to thank the authors of this important bill, Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Keating, as well as Chairman Sires for his support, and I am glad to know that Senator Murphy is on the case as well.

One more time, I would just like to say, if I might, what a terrible idea the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is, and I appreciate the strong comments that Congressman Keating just made. We should be opposing that, and we should be supporting the Trans-Caucasus pipeline to get more oil into Eastern Europe, away from Russia, and out of the bondage of their control of the pipelines.

So, I would like to thank the authors one more time and encourage all our colleagues to support this important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1616) to prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordination among United States agencies to encourage countries in Central and Eastern Europe to diversify their energy sources and supply routes, increase Europe's energy security, and help the United States reach its global energy security goals, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1616, the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019.

I would like to thank my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Keating, for introducing this bipartisan legislation.

When we look at the full scope of Vladimir Putin's nefarious behavior throughout the world, we see it take many shapes: insidious attempts to influence democratic elections, incursions into the sovereign territory of other nations, and military exercises designed to intimidate its neighbors.

But this legislation addresses yet another tool in Putin's arsenal: the manipulation of natural resources.

More and more, we see Russia using energy as a weapon to blackmail countries depending on Russian energy sources. The European Union and many of our allies and partners in Europe recognize this threat and have begun to take steps to reduce their vulnerability to Russian pressure.

This bill will ramp up American support for Europe's energy security and reduce dependence on Russia, including financial support for projects that better connect European energy networks and improve energy efficiency.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank, again, Mr. Kinzinger and Mr. Keating for their work on this bill to bolster our allies in the face of Russian pressure.

This is a good measure that addresses Russia's use of energy to exploit and blackmail countries around the world, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of a cancelled flight and circumstances out of my control, I was unable to cast a vote on March 25, 2019 on a bill under suspension of the rules. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 1616.