Washington — A U.S. Senate committee passed a bill on Wednesday to slap sanctions on companies and individuals involved in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany that the Trump administration says would strengthen Moscow’s economic grip on Europe.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the “Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act” by a vote of 20 to 2. The bill, which reflects some lawmakers’ concerns over Russian influence in Europe, still would need to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed by President Donald Trump to become law.
“Russia has a history of using energy as a weapon,” said Republican Senator Ted Cruz, one of the measure’s sponsors, as he urged committee members to back the bill.
The Nord Stream 2 project is mostly completed and led by the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom, with half of the funding provided by Germany’s Uniper and BASF’s Wintershall unit, Anglo-Dutch firm Shell, Austria’s OMV and France’s Engie.
The sanctions could also affect other natural gas export pipelines from Russia, including the Turk Stream project.
Also Read: Indonesia’s Bontang LNG plant sells 8 LNG cargoes out of 11 uncommitted cargoes
Cruz’s bill is one of a handful in Congress looking to impose sanctions on the project. The measure would penalize ships that lay Russian energy export pipelines at depths of 100 feet (30 meters) or more below sea level, a stipulation that means it could also be applied to the Turk Stream gas pipeline.
Senator Rand Paul, a Republican, was one of two votes against the bill on Wednesday, along with Democratic Senator Tom Udall.
Paul faulted the bill for sanctioning U.S. allies and harming international companies that employ thousands of Americans, which was disputed by the bill’s backers.
“It makes no sense to hurt people that are helping us apply pressure on Russia and in other areas,” Paul said.
A companion bill passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee last month.
- Reuters
