[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4931]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DEVELOPING EUROPE'S ENERGY SUPPLIES

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I wish to call for new aid to Eastern 
Europe to strengthen our allies in the face of Russia's annexation of 
Crimea.
  Some of my colleagues have suggested that we can do this by 
immediately increasing our export of domestically produced and 
processed liquefied natural gas. I have been cautiously optimistic on 
the domestic production of this energy source, relying heavily on the 
need for the environmental regulation of such activities. But in the 
case of Eastern Europe there is little that we can do domestically to 
quickly help their situation.
  For more than a century, America's real power has been exporting the 
keys to economic growth and security. Therefore, it is time to do 
something real to bolster Europe's energy security by helping them 
develop Eastern Europe's substantial natural gas reserves and reduce 
the leverage Russia has over its energy dependent neighbors.
  The most powerful tool the United States can give Eastern Europe is 
not exported natural gas that will not get to Europe for years, if 
ever. It is empowering our European allies to develop their own energy 
resources, like the major shale gas deposits in Poland.
  It is clear that energy--and natural gas in particular--is at the 
very heart of Russia's influence over that part of the world. Europe is 
dependent on Russia for nearly one-third of its natural gas. And while 
countries in Western Europe have had some success in diversifying their 
energy supplies, as former State Department Special Envoy and 
Coordinator for International Energy Affairs David Goldwyn testified 
yesterday, Eastern Europe is still heavily dependent upon Russia for 
energy.
  Russia is not above using that dependence as a hammer and has been 
eager to remind us of that fact. For instance, Moscow shut off the gas 
lines in 2006 and again in the winter of 2009, leaving millions 
temporarily without heat. In 2013, when the country of Moldova sought 
to pursue stronger ties with Europe, Russia's deputy prime minister 
issued a barely veiled threat to the Moldovans, saying ``we hope you 
will not freeze.''
  As I noted, some have suggested the answer to this problem is to 
automatically approve natural gas exports from the United States.
  This position simply ignores the facts about how the gas market 
actually works.
  U.S. LNG facilities are not slated to come online until the end of 
next year, at the earliest, while any new approvals would not provide 
any natural gas exports for at least several years. Further, unless 
Congress directed exports to go to Ukraine, the gas would go to the 
country paying the highest price, which would likely be in Asia.
  I support the Energy Department's current, measured process for 
considering export requests. The Energy Department has already approved 
more than 9 billion cubic feet per day of exports, which exceeds what 
most analysts believe is the current international market for U.S. 
natural gas. It is helping our European allies bolster their energy 
security by developing the major shale gas deposits in Poland and 
elsewhere.
  United States entrepreneurs triggered the shale revolution with a 
combination of innovation and technical know-how. This created tens of 
thousands of jobs and produced stable energy supplies that are 50 
percent cleaner than traditional fossil fuels. It helped us with our 
energy security and it can do the same for Europe.
  That is exactly what we should be doing to help NATO allies that are 
justifiably worried following Russia's illegal actions in Ukraine.
  So what I am proposing today is to increase funding for a State 
Department program that helps spur natural gas development abroad. My 
commonsense amendment would direct $10 million within the Economic 
Support Fund toward the Unconventional Gas Technical Engagement Program 
to help Eastern European countries develop the regulations and 
technical expertise they need to access their own gas.
  Let me be clear--this assistance would go to countries, like Poland, 
that have asked for American help to harness their own gas reserves. I 
am aware that Europe is having its own debate about shale gas, and this 
amendment would not force any nation to participate. In doing so, it 
will help our European allies throw off the yoke of dependence on 
Russian gas.
  I want to be clear that this amendment cannot free Eastern Europe 
from Russian influence. Russia has other ways of bullying its neighbors 
economically. Moscow temporarily banned imports from Ukraine, for 
example, and it also banned imports of Moldovan wine--a very 
significant part of Moldova's economy.
  This is clearly only one step of many needed to send a message to 
President Putin. But as the former chairman of the Energy and Natural 
Resources Committee I know that a stable energy supply is the lifeblood 
of any economy and a very important component to a secure nation.
  I believe there is bipartisan support for America to give our allies 
the tools they need to become more secure and less dependent on the 
whims of Mr. Putin.

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