Bipartisan, bicameral legislation offered by U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) that would slap sanctions on any vessels involved in constructing Russian energy export pipelines has been included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020.
Rep. Kinzinger in June sponsored the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019, H.R. 3206, which his office said would namely sanction vessels associated with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a multinational project to transport natural gas into the European Union to enhance security of supply, support climate goals and strengthen the internal energy market.
“With a crumbling economy and a failing governance, Russia has long tried to use energy dependence as a means to intimidate and coerce our European allies,” said Rep. Kinzinger. “The continuation of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project poses heavy security risks for millions of Europeans, and the world, and it needs to be stopped.”
H.R. 3206, which Rep. Kinzinger introduced with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA), is included as Title LXXV in the NDAA legislation, S. 1790, which has been reconciled by the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
“I’m proud to see my bill H.R. 3206, which imposes specific sanctions to stop construction and completion of the pipeline, be included in the 2020 NDAA text, showing Congress’s support for our allies and our own national security against Russia’s power grabs,” Rep. Kinzinger said.
The FY 2020 NDAA is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law before the end of the year, according to the congressman’s office.