The House of Representatives has already passed a version of the defense bill, which includes further sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 fuel pipeline; however, the Senate’s version of the bill also contains four amendments that would levy sanctions.
The Biden administration’s efforts to remove sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have met bipartisan resistance in Congress. According to congressional aides, it is of particular importance to the administration to remove sanctions against German entities involved in the construction of the pipeline.
Administration officials including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Senior Adviser for Global Energy Security Amos Hochstein are reportedly among the groups of individuals who have contacted Senate offices over the past week to urge lawmakers against the sanctions.
The Biden administration reportedly views the Nord Stream 2 sanctions as counterproductive in repairing the US relationship with Germany. The pipeline goes straight from Russia under the Baltic Sea into Germany.
However, the findings also indicated that the Biden White House's efforts have effectively proved fruitless.
ICYMI: Germany's energy regulator has suspended the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to carry Russian gas to Europe and said the Swiss-based consortium needed to form a company under German law to get an operating license https://t.co/x3H3deRUbD pic.twitter.com/tP1O4GCV90
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 21, 2021
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has sparked controversy since its inception. The pipeline would double the capacity for Russian gas to reach directly into central Europe, bypassing Eastern Europe.
Many countries in Eastern Europe, Ukraine included, receive billions in transit revenues from pipelines that carry gas from Russia into Central and Western European markets.
Congressional Democrats and Republicans have argued that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will allow Russia to exert more pressure on Ukraine while positioning itself to use energy as a weapon and bargaining chip with Western European countries.
Europe is in the midst of a severe energy shortage and the expansion of Baltic pipelines will provide Central and Western Europe with cheaper and more abundant gas, according to reports.
Biden’s desire to limit sanctions, especially on German entities, has reportedly been a losing effort. Sanctions are politically popular in the United States, while repairing relations with Germany is a far greater concern for a sitting president than it is for a member of Congress.
