Pipeline Politics

The Biden Administration has tried to block the energy pipelines that help American national security and energy independence but has given a green light to the foreign ones that help our enemies.

• The Biden Administration’s hypocrisy is on full display when it comes to energy pipelines: companies cannot build them here in the United States, yet for over a year he permitted Russian companies to build the NordStream 2 pipeline that increased our NATO allies’ dependence on Russian oil.
• Biden attacked American energy independence by cancelling the Keystone Pipeline, putting a ban of new drilling on federal lands, and forcing overregulation that hamstrings American companies and rewards our competitors. 
• Biden also withdrew support for the East Med European pipeline, which further entrenched our European allies’ reliance on Russian oil.

From America First to America Last

• On Biden’s first day in office, he killed the Keystone XL pipeline and then banned all new drilling on federal land—cutting our production capacity by nearly 30 percent. 
• Then in May 2021, President Biden waived sanctions against Nord Stream 2—the Russian pipeline that would have provided 50 percent of German gas imports and a large percentage of EU gas. This sent the wrong message to Putin and encourage his invasion of Ukraine.
• Our NATO allies should NEVER be dependent on Russian pipelines for energy. Putin’s invasion of Ukraine sent a wakeup call to Germany and others. Fortunately, Germany has now rightfully suspended operations on NordStream 2.
• The Trump Administration tried to prohibit this debacle from happening in the first place. They prioritized energy diversification in Europe and supported the East Med Pipeline, which would carry oil and gas from Israel through Crete and Greece to the broader EU. 
• Biden withdrew U.S. support for the East-Med in January 2022 just a month before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, making it even harder for them to find an alternative to Russian energy.
• Russia is currently threatening to hold countries like Poland and Bulgaria hostage and shut off the flow of gas to their countries.

Proposals Grounded in Reality to Save Europe and Bolster American Energy:

1. Fast-track Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Export Approvals: Biden could undo a 2014 Obama-era rule requiring redundant regulation of exports and allow the Department of Energy to serve as a one-stop shop for such exports. American ships should be able to efficiently export LNG to any EU port. 
2. East-Med Pipeline: Biden should immediately restart support for the completion of the East-Med pipeline, helping provide another source of natural gas to Europe. 
3. Midcat Pipeline: The United States should vocally support the Midcat Pipeline to significantly boost the European Union’s natural gas import capacity. This pipeline connects Spain to Europe through France. It would allow American ships to unload more gas to reach Europe quickly and efficiently.