Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2021
This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. international energy strategy.
Applications to export natural gas to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, Japan, and certain other countries shall be granted on an expedited basis without modification or delay.
The President shall impose sanctions on a person that provides certain equipment, investment, or services to the Russian government or related entities for constructing or servicing Russian energy export pipelines.
The Department of State shall report to Congress on a strategy to enhance the energy security of NATO member countries and increase U.S. energy exports to such countries.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 819 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 819
To enhance the security of the United States and its allies, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 18, 2021
Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Capito, Mr.
Cornyn, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Mr. Hagerty, Mr.
Hawley, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Kennedy, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr.
Sullivan, and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; which was read
twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enhance the security of the United States and its allies, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Energy Security Cooperation with
Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to reduce the dependency of allies and partners of the
United States on Russian energy resources, especially natural
gas, in order for those countries to achieve lasting and
dependable energy security;
(2) to condemn the Government of the Russian Federation
for, and to deter that government from, using its energy
resources as a geopolitical weapon to coerce, intimidate, and
influence other countries;
(3) to improve energy security in Europe by increasing
access to diverse, reliable, and affordable energy;
(4) to promote energy security in Europe by working with
the European Union and other allies of the United States to
develop liberalized energy markets that provide diversified
energy sources, suppliers, and routes;
(5) to continue to strongly oppose the Nord Stream 2
pipeline based on its detrimental effects on the energy
security of the European Union and the economy of Ukraine and
other countries in Central Europe through which natural gas is
transported; and
(6) to support countries that are allies or partners of the
United States by expediting the export of energy resources from
the United States.
SEC. 3. NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION.
The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(in this Act referred to as ``NATO'') to use the voice and influence of
the United States to encourage NATO member countries to work together
to achieve energy security for those countries and countries in Europe
and Eurasia that are partners of NATO.
SEC. 4. TRANSATLANTIC ENERGY STRATEGY.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States and other NATO member countries should explore ways to ensure
that NATO member countries diversify their energy supplies and routes
in order to enhance their energy security, including through the
development of a transatlantic energy strategy.
(b) Transatlantic Energy Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development and the Secretary of Energy,
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
transatlantic energy strategy for the United States--
(A) to enhance the energy security of NATO member
countries and countries that are partners of NATO; and
(B) to increase exports of energy from the United
States to such countries.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives.
SEC. 5. EXPEDITED APPROVAL OF EXPORTATION OF NATURAL GAS TO UNITED
STATES ALLIES.
(a) In General.--Section 3(c) of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C.
717b(c)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``For purposes'';
(2) by striking ``nation with which there is in effect a
free trade agreement requiring national treatment for trade in
natural gas'' and inserting ``foreign country described in
paragraph (2)''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) A foreign country described in this paragraph is--
``(A) a nation with which there is in effect a free trade
agreement requiring national treatment for trade in natural
gas;
``(B) a member country of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization;
``(C) subject to paragraph (3), Japan; and
``(D) any other foreign country if the Secretary of State,
in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, determines that
exportation of natural gas to that foreign country would
promote the national security interests of the United States.
``(3) The exportation of natural gas to Japan shall be deemed to be
consistent with the public interest pursuant to paragraph (1), and
applications for such exportation shall be granted without modification
or delay under that paragraph, during only such period as the Treaty of
Mutual Cooperation and Security, signed at Washington January 19, 1960,
and entered into force June 23, 1960 (11 UST 1632; TIAS 4509), between
the United States and Japan, remains in effect.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply with respect to applications for the authorization to export
natural gas under section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b)
that are pending on, or filed on or after, the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 6. MANDATORY SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF
PIPELINES IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
(a) In General.--The President shall impose five or more of the
sanctions described in section 235 of the Countering America's
Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (22 U.S.C. 9529) with respect to a
person if the President determines that the person knowingly, on or
after the date of the enactment of this Act, makes an investment
described in subsection (b) or sells, leases, or provides to the
Government of the Russian Federation, or to any entity owned or
controlled by that government, for the construction of Russian energy
export pipelines, goods, services, technology, information, or support
described in subsection (c)--
(1) any of which has a fair market value of $1,000,000 or
more; or
(2) that, during a 12-month period, have an aggregate fair
market value of $5,000,000 or more.
(b) Investment Described.--An investment described in this
subsection is any contribution of assets, including a loan guarantee or
any other transfer of value, that directly and significantly
contributes to the enhancement of the ability of the Government of the
Russian Federation, or any entity owned or controlled by that
government, to construct energy export pipelines.
(c) Goods, Services, Technology, Information, or Support
Described.--Goods, services, technology, information, or support
described in this subsection are goods, services, technology,
information, or support that could directly and significantly
facilitate the maintenance or expansion of the construction,
modernization, or repair of energy export pipelines by the Government
of the Russian Federation or any entity owned or controlled by that
government.
(d) Presidential Waiver Authority and Notice to Congress.--
(1) Presidential waiver authority.--The President may waive
the application of sanctions under this section if the
President determines that it is in the national security
interests of the United States to waive such sanctions.
(2) Notice to congress.--Not less than 15 days before
taking action to waive the application of sanctions under
paragraph (1), the President shall submit to the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives a notification of, and
written justification for, the action.
(e) Exception for Importation of Goods.--
(1) In general.--The authority to impose sanctions under
subsection (a) shall not include the authority to impose
sanctions with respect to the importation of goods.
(2) Good defined.--In this subsection, the term ``good''
means any article, natural or manmade substance, material,
supply or manufactured product, including inspection and test
equipment, and excluding technical data.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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