Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-16) reintroduced the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act with his colleagues Congressmen Denny Heck (D-WA) and Greg Pence (R-IN). This bipartisan legislation would impose sanctions on certain vessels connected to the construction of Russian energy export pipelines, namely the Nord Stream 2 project. After introduction of H.R. 3206, Congressman Kinzinger released this statement:

“For years, Russia has tried to use energy dependence as a means to put undue political influence on our European allies. Through intimidation and coercion, Vladimir Putin has weaponized natural gas across the region. The continuation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline would further endanger millions of Europeans, and pose heavy security risks around the globe. This is why our legislation is so important. H.R. 3206 would impose specific sanctions to stop construction and completion of the Nord Stream 2 project. The United States must stand with our allies and protect our own national security by pushing back on these power grabs by Russia.”

In March, Congressman Kinzinger introduced H.R. 1616, the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019, to incentive European nations to develop their own domestic energy sources. These two bills, acting as a “carrot” and a “stick,” would ensure that America’s European allies are protected from Russia’s malign use of energy. The full text of H.R. 3206 can be found here and attached.

On the Senate side, a companion bill was introduced by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tom Cotton (R-AR). The legislation introduced last month, S.1441, can be found here.

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