I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1081 

To require reports by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, 

and the Director of National Intelligence relating to construction of 

the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 

Mr. HECK (for himself, Mr. CONAWAY, Ms. KAPTUR, and Mr. ROONEY of 

Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Permanent Select), 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 require reports by the Secretary of State, the Secretary 

of the Treasury, and the Director of National Intelligence relating to construction of the Nord Stream 2 

pipeline, 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 ‘‘Protect European En5 ergy Security Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The Russian Federation is constructing a 

4 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, named the 

5 Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the completion of which 

6 could address potential increases in European en7 ergy consumption but also increase European de8 pendence on Russian energy and have destabilizing 

9 effects on the Government of Ukraine if Ukraine 

10 loses energy transit fees as a result of construction 

11 of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. 

12 (2) According to experts, the Nord Stream 2 

13 pipeline would transport 80 percent of Russia’s cur14 rent gas exports to Europe through one single pipe15 line system, which would run counter to the Euro16 pean Union energy policy of energy security and di17 versification of supply. 

18 (3) Section 257(a) of the Countering America’s 

19 Adversaries through Sanctions Act of 2017 (Public 

20 Law 115–44; 22 U.S.C. 9546(a)) states in part that 

21 it is the policy of the United States— 

22 (A) ‘‘to work with European Union mem23 ber states and European Union institutions to 

24 promote energy security through developing di25 versified and liberalized energy markets that 


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1 provide diversified sources, suppliers, and 

2 routes’’; and 

3 (B) ‘‘to continue to oppose [the Nord 

4 Stream 2 pipeline] given its detrimental im5 pacts on the European Union’s energy security, 

6 gas market development in Central and Eastern 

7 Europe, and energy reforms in Ukraine’’. 

8 (4) On January 27, 2018, then-Secretary of 

9 State Rex Tillerson stated, ‘‘[T]he United States op10 poses the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. We see it as un11 dermining Europe’s overall energy security and sta12 bility. . .’’. Tillerson further stated that the pipeline 

13 would allow Putin to use energy as a ‘‘political tool’’. 

14 (5) On March 11, 2018, German chancellor An15 gela Merkel acknowledged ‘‘political’’ and ‘‘stra16 tegic’’ concerns regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipe17 line and stated that the pipeline ‘‘is not just an eco18 nomic project, but that, of course, political factors 

19 must also be taken into account’’. 

20 (6) Gazprom, a Russian energy company, is 

21 controlled by the Government of the Russian Fed22 eration, which, according to the European Commis23 sion’s Statement of Objections to Gazprom dated 

24 April 22, 2015, has undertaken efforts to use gas as 

25 a weapon of coercion. 


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1 (7) The Department of State, led by the Bu2 reau of Energy of Resources, has worked extensively 

3 with allies, including Denmark, to thwart such Rus4 sian efforts. 

5 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

6 It is the sense of Congress that the United States 

7 should— 

8 (1) continue to oppose construction of the Nord 

9 Stream 2 pipeline and other Russian Federation gas 

10 pipelines in northern Europe; and 

11 (2) take affirmative diplomatic steps to halt the 

12 construction of such pipelines. 

13 SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

14 (a) REPORT BY SECRETARY OF STATE.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

17 of State, in coordination with the Secretary of the 

18 Treasury, shall submit to the appropriate congres19 sional committees a report on actions the Depart20 ment of State is taking to implement section 257 of 

21 the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanc22 tions Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–44; 22 U.S.C. 

23 9546). 

24 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report shall include de25 tails on the following: 


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1 (A) Efforts by the Department of State 

2 since August 3, 2017, to work with European 

3 Union member states and institutions to pro4 mote energy security and decrease their depend5 ence on Russian sources of energy, including 

6 use of the Countering Russian Influence Fund 

7 authorized pursuant to section 254 of the 

8 Countering America’s Adversaries through 

9 Sanctions Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–44; 22 

10 U.S.C. 9543). 

11 (B) Diplomatic efforts undertaken by the 

12 Department of State to oppose directly the 

13 Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the Turk Stream 

14 pipeline. 

15 (C) An estimation of European natural gas 

16 supply demand from 2019 through 2023. 

17 (b) REPORT BY SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

19 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

20 of Treasury, in coordination with the Secretary of 

21 State, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

22 committees a report on each entity involved in con23 struction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline or construc24 tion of the Turk Stream pipeline. 


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1 (2) ENTITY DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 

2 term ‘‘entity’’— 

3 (A) means an entity organized under the 

4 laws of the United States; and 

5 (B) includes, with respect to the entity, a 

6 sub entity, parent entity, subsidiary, or any 

7 other entity. 

8 (c) REPORT BY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTEL9 LIGENCE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 

10 enactment of this Act, the Director of National Intel11 ligence, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, 

12 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

13 a report on the impact of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on— 

14 (1) United States interests and security objec15 tives; 

16 (2) European energy security and defense pos17 ture; 

18 (3) Russian influence in Europe; and 

19 (4) Ukraine, including the implications of re20 ductions in transit fees as a result of Nord Stream 

21 2 pipeline. 

22 (d) FORM.—The reports required by this section shall 

23 be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a clas24 sified annex. 


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1 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE2 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres3 sional committees’’ means— 

4 (1) in the House of Representatives— 

5 (A) the Committee on Armed Services; 

6 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs; 

7 (C) the Committee in Financial Services; 

8 (D) the Committee on Energy and Com9 merce; and 

10 (E) the Permanent Select Committee on 

11 Intelligence; and 

12 (2) in the Senate— 

13 (A) the Committee on Armed Services; 

14 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations; 

15 (C) the Committee on Finance; 

16 (D) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 

17 and Urban Affairs; and 

18 (E) the Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Æ 


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