Shaheen, Risch Urge Biden Administration to Fully Implement Nord Stream II Legislation
**Shaheen wrote legislation signed into law, which she built on in the FY2021 NDAA, to halt construction of the Russian pipeline that threatens Europe’s energy independence and allows Putin to further spread the Kremlin’s malign influence in the region.**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) and Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation SFRC Subcommittee, sent a bipartisan letter today to the Biden administration with SFRC Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID), in support of full implementation of Nord Stream II-related legislation authored by Shaheen that became law in the last Congress, which aims to bring an end to the Nord Stream II pipeline project. The Senators’ letter demonstrates the bipartisan concern in Congress to halt construction of the pipeline to preserve Europe’s energy independence and prevent Vladimir Putin from spreading the Kremlin’s malign influence throughout the region.
“We write to reiterate our support for the full implementation of the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), as amended by the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Clarification Act (PEESCA). This is important legislation that was passed into law with strong bipartisan support during the 116th Congress,” wrote the Senators. “This pipeline would create a potent new geopolitical tool for Russia, allowing it to deprive Ukraine, Slovakia, and other nations of transit fees. It would tie Western Europe to Russian gas, and the political coercion that accompanies it, for the next 40 years. Moreover, the arrival of Russian infrastructure into a NATO country puts all NATO members at risk.”
“Opposition to the pipeline has been U.S. policy since the Obama Administration, and this policy continues to enjoy strong, bipartisan support,” the Senators continued. “We urge you and your administration to continue to implement PEESA and PEESCA, specifically through the submission of a required report due to Congress on February 16, 2021, that identifies the entities actively involved in the construction of Nord Stream II.”
The letter can be read in full here.
Building on her bipartisan bill included in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that mandated targeted sanctions on vessels involved in installing Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Senator Shaheen added a provision that further clarifies those sanctions in the NDAA that became law in January, which targets companies working with the Russian vessels sent to complete the pipeline. The Senator’s previous bipartisan effort led to a freeze in the construction of the pipeline, which, if completed, would increase the Kremlin’s leverage and ability to sow discord in Europe and damage the Ukrainian economy by impeding its ability to collect gas transit fees.
