Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), Chairman of the US Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Parliamentary Assembly, has introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that it is in our national interest to support and enhance Europe’s energy security through opening of the Southern Gas Corridor.
“The Southern Gas Corridor will contribute to regional energy security for our allies in Europe and Eurasia, and help to strengthen our strategic partnership. Many of our allies are reliant upon natural gas supplies from a single nation or unstable regions. Ensuring our allies have access to an alternative and reliable source of energy will help improve geopolitical stability in the region,” said Turner.
The Caspian Sea region holds significant energy resources and proven natural gas reserves. In particular, the Shah Deniz field in Azerbaijan is one of the world’s largest gas fields, with over 30 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas. The Southern Gas Corridor will help our European allies diversify their energy resources by providing an alternative and reliable source of natural gas. This will bolster their energy security and help improve geopolitical stability in the region. Specifically, the pipeline will route natural gas from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.
Current and past Administrations have expressed support for the Southern Gas Corridor. At the U.S.-Azerbaijan Convention in late May 2013, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar stated:
“…Azerbaijan’s importance to European energy security will remain strong, helping to guarantee that our European partners are not overly reliant on any suppliers. Azerbaijan is now in the final stages of establishing a southern corridor for natural gas.
“…our overriding interest is that Azerbaijani gas reaches vulnerable markets in Europe…”
Additionally, a December 2012 report by Senator Richard Lugar’s Foreign Relations Committee staff entitled “Energy and Security from the Caspian to Europe” states:
“…the Southern Corridor would advance several U.S. and NATO foreign policy objectives: it would further isolate Iran, assist in cultivating partners in the Caucasus and Central Asia and bolster their sovereign independence, and perhaps most importantly, curtail Russia’s energy leverage over European NATO allies.”
Turner had previously introduced the Expedited LNG for American Allies Act. This measure, which is the bipartisan House companion to bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), seeks to help strengthen our strategic partnerships with key allies, reduce the trade deficit and boost job growth right here at home by streamlining the regulatory process to export natural gas to NATO countries, Japan and others. This bill is a modified version of the LNG for NATO Act, originally authored by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) and which Turner introduced as the House companion bill in the 112th Congress.
NOTE: A copy of the resolution can be found here.
Original Cosponsors include:
David Scott (D-GA-13)
Bill Shuster (R-PA-09)
Steve Cohen (D-TN-09)
Jim Bridenstine (R-OK-01)
Leonard Lance (R-NJ-07)
James Moran (D-VA-08)
Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25)
Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18)
Kay Granger (R-TX-12)
Jeff Miller (R-FL-01)
Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
Tom Cotton (R-AR-04)
Tom Marino (R-PA-10)
Ted Poe (R-TX-02)
Brett Guthrie (R-KY-02)
Steve Stivers (R-OH-15)
Joyce Beatty (D-OH-03)
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA-46)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05)
Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU-AL)
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