[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5902-H5904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING SUPPORT OF THREE SEAS INITIATIVE IN ITS EFFORTS TO INCREASE 
          ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTIVITY

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 672) expressing support of the Three Seas 
Initiative in its efforts to increase energy independence and 
infrastructure connectivity thereby strengthening the United States and 
European national security, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 672

       Whereas, in 2015, 12 Central and European nations of the 
     European Union established the Three Seas Initiative to 
     increase energy, infrastructure, and digital communications 
     autonomy and resilience through support of collective 
     financing for new infrastructure projects to connect the 
     region between the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas;
       Whereas the United States pledged support and willingness 
     to serve as a steadfast partner of the Three Seas 
     Initiative's effort at the July 2017 Warsaw summit;
       Whereas, in February 2020, the Secretary of State announced 
     a United States commitment of up to $1,000,000,000 in 
     financing for Three Seas Initiative countries to promote 
     energy security and economic growth;
       Whereas the Three Seas Initiative will advance economic 
     growth, resilience, transport and digital connectivity, and 
     energy security in this strategic region, thereby increasing 
     the national security of the United States;
       Whereas the President of the European Commission recognized 
     the Three Seas Initiative as a ``catalyst for the cohesion 
     and convergence of the EU and for the strengthening of the 
     transatlantic link'';
       Whereas Soviet-imposed communist rule in Central and 
     Eastern Europe left the region with a significant 
     infrastructure deficit, especially in the realm of north-
     south transportation and energy lines;
       Whereas the current state of infrastructure in Central and 
     Eastern Europe nations restricts energy, water, and 
     telecommunications interconnectivity across the region;
       Whereas the infrastructure deficit leaves these nations 
     overly dependent on Russia for their energy and additional 
     economic needs;
       Whereas Russia seeks to undermine democratic institutions 
     and liberty in Europe through hybrid means, including using 
     energy as a tool for coercion;
       Whereas Russian gas pipeline projects, such as Nord Stream 
     II and Turk Stream, are political and seek to undermine 
     Europe's energy security;
       Whereas the Three Seas Initiative provides a positive 
     alternative for financing for transport, energy and digital 
     connectivity projects in the Three Seas region to China's 
     17+1 and Belt and Road Initiatives, which have exported 
     corruption, debt traps, and poor labor and environmental 
     standards;
       Whereas diversification of energy sources and supply 
     routes, including development of renewable energy sources and 
     technology, is critical to bolstering energy security;
       Whereas members of the Three Seas Initiative have 
     prioritized key energy projects such as the Krk, Croatia LNG 
     terminal, Gas Interconnector Republic of Poland-Republic of 
     Lithuania, the Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria (BRUA) gas 
     interconnector, and other cross-border interconnections;
       Whereas members of the Three Seas Initiative have also 
     prioritized key digital infrastructure and transportation 
     projects to support modern and vibrant economies including 
     the Three Seas Initiative Digital Highway, the Viking Train, 
     the Adriatic TEN-T Core Network Corridor, and the FAIRway 
     Danube, among others; and
       Whereas the Three Seas Initiative includes vital allies of 
     the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) supports the Three Seas Initiative in its efforts to 
     increase energy resilience and infrastructure connectivity 
     across Central and Eastern Europe and to further the process 
     of building a Europe that is undivided, secure, prosperous, 
     and free;
       (2) encourages Three Seas Initiative nations to take action 
     on joint financing of projects to strengthen energy, 
     infrastructure, and digital communications projects in 
     Central and Eastern Europe, including through national 
     contributions to the Three Seas Initiative Infrastructure 
     Fund;
       (3) reaffirms the authority of the President under the 
     Build Act of 2018 (division F of Public Law 115-254) to 
     provide United States financing to the Three Seas Initiative 
     and its projects in cases that advance national economic or 
     foreign policy interests of the United States and would 
     produce significant developmental outcomes or provide 
     developmental benefits to the poorest population;
       (4) reaffirms the authority of the United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation under the 
     European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019 
     (title XX of division P of Public Law 116-94) to provide 
     support for the Three Seas Initiative and its energy 
     infrastructure projects in countries with upper-middle-income 
     or high-income economies in cases described in paragraph (3) 
     or if such support is necessary to preempt or counter efforts 
     by a strategic competitor of the United States to secure 
     significant political or economic leverage or

[[Page H5903]]

     acquire national security-sensitive technologies or 
     infrastructure in a country that is an ally or partner of the 
     United States;
       (5) encourages the Three Seas Initiative member nations to 
     boost cross-border cooperation and financing on 
     diversification of energy sources, including clean energy 
     sources and infrastructure;
       (6) encourages Three Seas Initiative nations to extend this 
     vision of enhanced regional infrastructural connectivity to 
     non-European Union member states in the Three Seas region, 
     including Ukraine, Moldova, and those in the Western Balkans; 
     and
       (7) strongly condemns any efforts of Russia to weaponize 
     energy as a means to put pressure on or to undermine liberty 
     and democracy in Europe.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Espaillat) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include in the Record any extraneous material on H. Res. 672.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I 
would like to thank Congresswoman Kaptur for her leadership and hard 
work. This is a strong, bipartisan resolution that seeks to promote and 
encourage Europe's independence from Russia's coercive energy influence 
and ensure greater interconnectivity of infrastructure in the region.
  Our Eastern European allies and partners know all too well the need 
to get out from under Russia's stranglehold on the region's energy 
resources, and this resolution sends an important message that Congress 
stands with our close friends as they look to build up their own 
capacity.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 672. I want to thank Marcy 
Kaptur for offering it. It is a very important bill to express support 
for the Three Seas Initiative.
  Launched by 12 of our close friends in central and Eastern Europe, 
the Three Seas Initiative seeks to expand cross-border energy, 
transportation, and digital infrastructure, as well as to boost 
economic development in the region.
  Though it is a regional initiative, it has global implications that 
serve not only European but also U.S. security and economic interests.
  For far too long, Mr. Speaker, Vladimir Putin has had an energy 
chokehold on much of Europe. In response, I have worked with my 
colleagues on both sides of the aisle to strongly oppose Putin's 
efforts to weaponize Russia's energy resources, including by working to 
ensure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is never completed.
  Moreover, we in Congress have expressed growing concern that the CCP 
is exporting corruption, debt traps, poor labor and environmental 
standards to Europe and across the world through its 17+1 and Belt and 
Road Initiatives.
  We have also raised the alarm for our EU and NATO allies about the 
threats that Huawei and the Chinese Communist Party pose as partners.
  The Three Seas Initiative seeks to address these concerns. It aims to 
decrease European dependence on Russian energy by financing new routes 
for non-Russian energy suppliers and to provide positive alternatives 
to PRC investments in the region.
  We must support our allies in Central and Eastern Europe as they 
seek, through the Three Seas Initiative, to reduce their dependence on 
Moscow's and Beijing's economic overtures.
  Only together can we face the threats posed by the authoritarian 
regimes in China and Russia. Therefore, I ask my colleagues to support 
this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), who is the author of this important resolution.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank Chairman Espaillat for the 
time in support of H. Res. 672, which is a bipartisan resolution, and I 
appreciate his help in moving it through the subcommittee and 
committee. This resolution was introduced with our colleague, 
Congressman Adam Kinzinger. I want to thank Ranking Member Smith for 
his years of dedication on the committee as well.
  This resolution expresses robust support for the Three Seas 
Initiative to accelerate the development of cross-border infrastructure 
in Central and Eastern Europe.
  I am also very grateful to the chairman of the full committee, Eliot 
Engel, who has given the best years of his life to this country and our 
interests around the world, and to Ranking Member McCaul and 
Congressman Keating for their commitment to strengthen the 
Transatlantic Alliance.
  I thank again my colleague, Congressman Kinzinger, for his 
partnership to shepherd this resolution to the floor.
  I also extend special thanks to Majority Leader Hoyer and his staff 
associate Daniel Silverberg for their support.
  Throughout the Cold War, the United States led efforts to expand 
liberty in Europe. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the 
United States welcomed the people of the region into the community of 
democratic nations. Yet Soviet tyranny left this strategic region 
without a significant infrastructure--actually a huge infrastructure 
deficit--increasing dependence on malign influence from Russia and, 
yes, China, too.
  Tragically, Russia seeks to divide Europe by exploiting Europe's 
energy dependence, including through the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream 
pipelines. Meanwhile, Chinese state-linked companies like Huawei offer 
predatory financing to capture Europe's telecommunications networks 
creating surveillance vulnerabilities.
  In response, 12 U.S. allies in Central and Eastern Europe launched 
the Three Seas Initiative and Investment Fund. The initiative provides 
a critical platform to pool financing to construct infrastructure 
projects free from malign influence. Currently, the Three Seas fund 
totals $1.4 billion. The first investment has been made in the 
transportation infrastructure sector.
  This resolution encourages Three Seas member nations to increase 
investments into the fund. Further, it strongly urges that the vision 
of a cross-border cooperation be extended to non-E.U. nations such as 
Ukraine and Moldova. Importantly, this legislation encourages support 
for financing of clean energy to counter the scourge of climate change. 
Following this resolution's introduction, the United States pledged up 
to $1 billion to finance energy security projects through the Three 
Seas Investment Fund.
  In conclusion, the transatlantic relationship is the bedrock of U.S. 
foreign policy. Out of the ashes of two world wars, visionary leaders 
created institutions like NATO to protect and expand liberty.
  The Three Seas Initiative--this time launched and led by our Allies--
is the next step to complete the transatlantic project. It will ensure 
a Europe in this 21st century that is whole, free, and at peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank Congresswoman 
Kaptur for her work on this measure and for being an advocate for 
energy security and the United States-European cooperation on this 
particular issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to support this measure, I urge all 
Members to do the same, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 672, a 
resolution that reinforces our Eastern European allies in the Three 
Seas Initiative.
  Since the Iron Curtain was lifted in 1991, citizens of Eastern 
European countries have suffered the economic consequences of poorly 
kept, soviet-era infrastructure that ensures their reliance on Russia 
for generations to come.

[[Page H5904]]

  As we all know, the goal of the Three Seas Initiative is to diversify 
resources in the region by collectively investing in cross border 
projects into the EU.
  Reclaiming valuable economic leverage will open doors to enhanced 
energy development and expand access to global markets.
  By capitalizing on this partnership, countries of the Three Seas 
Initiative are better equipped to meet the needs of a 21st century 
economy.
  A more economically prosperous and secure Eastern Europe is in the 
interest of American foreign policy.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Three Seas 
Initiative and pass H. Res. 672.
  I want to thank the sponsor, Congresswoman Kaptur, Chairman Keating, 
and Ranking Member Kinzinger for their leadership.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 672, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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