Today, January 25th, 2022, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 2046, the Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe (ESCAPE) Act. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Carol Miller (WV-03), would advance American energy exports to the European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, and reduce their reliance on Russian energy. Additionally, it mandates sanctions on Russian pipelines, including Nord Stream 2, which were signed into law in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, but have not been enforced by the Biden Administration.
This legislation is the House companion to S. 819, which was introduced by Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY).
“There needs to be serious action taken to counter Russia’s continued aggression against the democracies in Eastern Europe. Enforcing the Congressionally-passed and signed into law sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a necessary first toward deterring further Russian military advances,” said Miller-Meeks. “We should also continue to grow our energy export network with our European allies and NATO partners to help them wean off Russian energy. Biofuels, nuclear, oil, natural gas, hydro, and electric can all be a part of our energy diplomacy and weaken Russia’s influence in Europe."
Background:
The ESCAPE Act calls for a comprehensive U.S. government transatlantic energy strategy that increases American exports and focuses on securing energy independence for our NATO allies by utilizing an American energy supply. It additionally requires the Secretary of Energy to expedite natural gas export approvals to all NATO allies, Japan, and any other country whose national security is of utmost importance. The U.S. permanent representative to NATO will be directed to encourage states to work toward the common goal of achieving energy security for all members and partners in Europe and Eurasia.
Currently, American allies in Europe are dependent on natural gas from Russia. Europe imports about 40% of all consumed energy, with one-third of that coming from Russia's state-owned energy company, Gazprom. In 2009, Russia cut off gas deliveries to Ukraine for thirteen days due to outstanding debt obligations. This led to devastating impacts in Southern and Eastern European countries, where most of their energy flows through Ukraine from Russia. The ESCAPE Act will reduce fears and concerns over Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.
American natural gas production has also grown substantially since 2018 and is now equipped to provide significant amounts of energy to Europe and the rest of the world. The U.S. also produces much cleaner natural gas than Russia. If American energy were to replace Russian energy in the European Union, global greenhouse gas emissions would fall by approximately 72 million metric tons each year.
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