I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1253 

To enhance the security of the United States and its allies, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2023 

Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia (for herself, Mr. ARRINGTON, and Mr. 

CUELLAR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Energy 

and Commerce, Financial Services, Oversight and Accountability, Ways 

and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To enhance the security of the United States and its allies, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Energy Security Co5 operation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

7 It is the policy of the United States— 


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1 (1) to reduce the dependency of allies and part2 ners of the United States on Russian energy re3 sources, especially natural gas, in order for those 

4 countries to achieve lasting and dependable energy 

5 security; 

6 (2) to condemn the Government of the Russian 

7 Federation for, and to deter that government from, 

8 using its energy resources as a geopolitical weapon 

9 to coerce, intimidate, and influence other countries; 

10 (3) to improve energy security in Europe by in11 creasing access to diverse, reliable, and affordable 

12 energy; 

13 (4) to promote energy security in Europe by 

14 working with the European Union and other allies of 

15 the United States to develop liberalized energy mar16 kets that provide diversified energy sources, sup17 pliers, and routes; 

18 (5) to continue to strongly oppose the Nord 

19 Stream 2 pipeline based on its detrimental effects on 

20 the energy security of the European Union and the 

21 economy of Ukraine and other countries in Central 

22 Europe through which natural gas is transported; 

23 and 


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1 (6) to support countries that are allies or part2 ners of the United States by expediting the export 

3 of energy resources from the United States. 

4 SEC. 3. NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION. 

5 The President should direct the United States Per6 manent Representative on the Council of the North Atlan7 tic Treaty Organization (in this Act referred to as 

8 ‘‘NATO’’) to use the voice and influence of the United 

9 States to encourage NATO member countries to work to10 gether to achieve energy security for those countries and 

11 countries in Europe and Eurasia that are partners of 

12 NATO. 

13 SEC. 4. TRANSATLANTIC ENERGY STRATEGY. 

14 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con15 gress that the United States and other NATO member 

16 countries should explore ways to ensure that NATO mem17 ber countries diversify their energy supplies and routes in 

18 order to enhance their energy security, including through 

19 the development of a transatlantic energy strategy. 

20 (b) TRANSATLANTIC ENERGY STRATEGY.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary of State, in coordination with the Adminis24 trator of the United States Agency for International 

25 Development and the Secretary of Energy, shall subVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:18 Mar 15, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1253.IH H1253

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1 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

2 transatlantic energy strategy for the United 

3 States— 

4 (A) to enhance the energy security of 

5 NATO member countries and countries that are 

6 partners of NATO; and 

7 (B) to increase exports of energy, energy 

8 technologies, and energy development services 

9 from the United States to such countries. 

10 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT11 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap12 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

13 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

14 the Senate; and 

15 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

16 the House of Representatives. 

17 SEC. 5. EXPEDITED APPROVAL OF EXPORTATION OF NAT18 URAL GAS TO UNITED STATES ALLIES. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3(c) of the Natural Gas 

20 Act (15 U.S.C. 717b(c)) is amended— 

21 (1) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ before ‘‘For purposes’’; 

22 (2) by striking ‘‘nation with which there is in 

23 effect a free trade agreement requiring national 

24 treatment for trade in natural gas’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘foreign country described in paragraph (2)’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(2) A foreign country described in this paragraph 

3 is— 

4 ‘‘(A) a nation with which there is in effect a 

5 free trade agreement requiring national treatment 

6 for trade in natural gas; 

7 ‘‘(B) a member country of the North Atlantic 

8 Treaty Organization; 

9 ‘‘(C) subject to paragraph (3), Japan; and 

10 ‘‘(D) any other foreign country if the Secretary 

11 of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of 

12 State and Secretary of Defense, determines that ex13 portation of natural gas to that foreign country 

14 would promote the national security interests of the 

15 United States. 

16 ‘‘(3) The exportation of natural gas to Japan shall 

17 be deemed to be consistent with the public interest pursu18 ant to paragraph (1), and applications for such expor19 tation shall be granted without modification or delay 

20 under that paragraph, during only such period as the 

21 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, signed at 

22 Washington January 19, 1960, and entered into force 

23 June 23, 1960 (11 UST 1632; TIAS 4509), between the 

24 United States and Japan, remains in effect.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall apply with respect to applications for the 

3 authorization to export natural gas under section 3 of the 

4 Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b) that are pending on, 

5 or filed on or after, the date of the enactment of this Act. 

6 SEC. 6. MANDATORY SANCTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE 

7 DEVELOPMENT OF PIPELINES IN THE RUS8 SIAN FEDERATION. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose five 

10 or more of the sanctions described in section 235 of the 

11 Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act 

12 (22 U.S.C. 9529) with respect to a person if the President 

13 determines that the person knowingly, on or after the date 

14 of the enactment of this Act, makes an investment de15 scribed in subsection (b) or sells, leases, or provides to 

16 the Government of the Russian Federation, or to any enti17 ty owned or controlled by that government, for the con18 struction of Russian energy export pipelines, goods, serv19 ices, technology, information, or support described in sub20 section (c)— 

21 (1) any of which has a fair market value of 

22 $1,000,000 or more; or 

23 (2) that, during a 12-month period, have an ag24 gregate fair market value of $5,000,000 or more. 


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1 (b) INVESTMENT DESCRIBED.—An investment de2 scribed in this subsection is any contribution of assets, in3 cluding a loan guarantee or any other transfer of value, 

4 that directly and significantly contributes to the enhance5 ment of the ability of the Government of the Russian Fed6 eration, or any entity owned or controlled by that govern7 ment, to construct energy export pipelines. 

8 (c) GOODS, SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION, 

9 OR SUPPORT DESCRIBED.—Goods, services, technology, 

10 information, or support described in this subsection are 

11 goods, services, technology, information, or support that 

12 could directly and significantly facilitate the maintenance 

13 or expansion of the construction, modernization, or repair 

14 of energy export pipelines by the Government of the Rus15 sian Federation or any entity owned or controlled by that 

16 government. 

17 (d) PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER AUTHORITY AND NOTICE

18 TO CONGRESS.— 

19 (1) PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER AUTHORITY.—The 

20 President may waive the application of sanctions 

21 under this section if the President determines that 

22 it is in the national security interests of the United 

23 States to waive such sanctions. 

24 (2) NOTICE TO CONGRESS.—Not less than 15 

25 days before taking action to waive the application of 


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1 sanctions under paragraph (1), the President shall 

2 submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

3 the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

4 the House of Representatives a notification of, and 

5 written justification for, the action. 

6 (e) EXCEPTION FOR IMPORTATION OF GOODS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The authority to impose 

8 sanctions under subsection (a) shall not include the 

9 authority to impose sanctions with respect to the im10 portation of goods. 

11 (2) GOOD DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 

12 term ‘‘good’’ means any article, natural or manmade 

13 substance, material, supply or manufactured prod14 uct, including inspection and test equipment, and ex15 cluding technical data. 

Æ 


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