[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 88 (Wednesday, June 3, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1486. Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Hoeven, and Mr. Warner) 
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 1463 
proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe 
military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other 
purposes; as follows:



       Purpose: To require reporting on energy security issues 
     involving Europe and the Russian Federation, and to express 
     the sense of Congress regarding ways the United States could 
     help vulnerable allies and partners with energy security.
       At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1257. REPORTING ON ENERGY SECURITY ISSUES INVOLVING 
                   EUROPE AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

       (a) Additional Matters in Annual Report on Military and 
     Security Developments Involving the Russian Federation.--
     Section 1245(b) of the Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' 
     McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
     2015 (Public Law 113-291; 128 Stat. 3566) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (15) as paragraph (16); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (14) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(15) An assessment of Russia's ability to use energy 
     supplies, particularly natural gas and oil, as tools of 
     coercion or intimidation to undermine the security of NATO 
     members or other neighboring countries.''.
       (b) Report on European Energy Security and Related 
     Vulnerabilities.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of National 
     Intelligence, in consultation with the Secretary of State, 
     shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
     report assessing the energy security of NATO members, other 
     European nations who share a border with the Russian 
     Federation, and Moldova.
       (2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
     shall include assessments of the following issues:
       (A) The extent of reliance by these nations on the Russian 
     Federation for supplies of oil and natural gas.
       (B) Whether such reliance creates vulnerabilities that 
     negatively affect the security of those nations.
       (C) The magnitude of those vulnerabilities.
       (D) The impacts of those vulnerabilities on the national 
     security and economic interests of the United States.
       (E) Any other aspect that the Director determines to be 
     relevant to these issues.
       (3) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this 
     subsection, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Select Committee 
     on Intelligence, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
     the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Permanent Select 
     Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives.

     SEC. ___. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON WAYS THE UNITED STATES COULD 
                   HELP VULNERABLE ALLIES AND PARTNERS WITH ENERGY 
                   SECURITY.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (Public 
     Law 94-163) gives the President discretion to allow crude oil 
     and natural gas exports that the President determines to be 
     consistent with the national interest;
       (2) United States allies and partners in Europe and Asia 
     have requested access to United States oil and natural gas 
     exports to limit their vulnerability and to diversify their 
     supplies, including in the face of Russian aggression and 
     Middle East volatility; and
       (3) the President should exercise existing authorities 
     related to natural gas and crude oil exports to help aid 
     vulnerable United States allies and partners, consistent with 
     the national interest.
                                 ______