[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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