Andy Barr U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Andy Barr U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 6th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
On June 5, 2024, U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY-06), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the Securing Europe's Energy Security Act of 2024 (SEESA) in their respective chambers of Congress. This bill aims to preserve sanctions mandated under the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act (PEESA), which was authored by Senators Cruz and Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) and signed into law in 2019.
PEESA halted construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, with those sanctions set to expire at the end of December 2024. SEESA also prohibits the President from waiving these sanctions through national security findings.
"The energy security of our European allies and the national security of the United States are deeply intertwined. Allowing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to ever become operational would not only jeopardize Europe's energy independence but also empower Russia's adversarial influence in the region. I was proud to lead passage of these sanctions in the House well before Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine," said Congressman Barr. "With the war in Europe ongoing, these sanctions are crucial for ensuring that Russia is cut off from an opportunity to use energy as a malign means to influence our European allies."
Senator Cruz added, "The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has always been a geopolitical tool that Vladimir Putin intended to use, and eventually did use, to blackmail America's European allies and to undermine American national security. The pipeline was halted at the last minute in 2019 only because President Trump signed my sanctions legislation into law, and it remains offline only because sanctions under the bill are still in effect."
"An online and operational Nord Stream 2 pipeline would pose a direct threat to our European allies' energy security and to America's ability to ensure the safety and security of Americans and our allies," continued Senator Cruz.
Full text of SEESA is attached.
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