The Nord Stream 2 deal will t***sfer Russian gas to Germany via a pipeline running under the Baltic Sea
By Morgan Phillips , Rich Edson FOXBusiness
The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the corporation and CEO overseeing the Nordsteam 2 pipeline construction, a source familiar tells Fox Business.
But at the same time, the State Department is expected to send its 90-day report to Congress listing entities involved in the pipeline’s construction that deserve sanctions. The State Department will acknowledge that the corporate entity in charge of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO, the Putin crony and former East German intelligence officer Matthias Warnig, are engaged in sanctionable activity, according to Axios, which first reported the news.
The Nord Stream 2 deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime will t***sfer Russian gas to Germany via a pipeline running under the Baltic Sea. If completed, this new pipeline would double the amount of natural gas Russia t***sports directly to Europe and hand an enormous geopolitical victory to Vladimir Putin.
In December, Congress passed legislation — the National Defense Authorization Act — that contained sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream 2 project.
Another source familiar with the issue tells Fox Business this conclusion had been hinted at weeks ago and that it signals the U.S. is not willing to sacrifice its close relationship with Germany over the pipeline. In February, Biden also froze former President Trump’s plan to withdraw American troops from Germany.
But on his first day in office, President Biden issued an executive order cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline at home in the U.S.
Still, a State Department spokesperson condemned the pipeline and said others who are involved risk sanctions. "The Biden Administration has been clear that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO Allies and partners," the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. "We continue to examine entities involved in potentially sanctionable activity and have made it clear that companies risk sanctions if they are involved in Nord Stream 2. We will continue to underscore U.S. strong, bipartisan opposition to this Russian malign influence project."
The U.S. will continue to sanction ships involved in the building of Nord Stream 2 even though it refuses to sanction the company in charge of the project. Currently, Russia has to t***sport gas through Ukraine on its way to Europe. Completion of the pipeline would allow Russia to freeze out its former client state Ukraine, now operating under a democracy. Halting the 95 percent complete project would require sanctioning German users of the gas as well, and the Biden administration is not willing to risk its relationship with Germany to do so. The pipeline could be completed as soon as this summer.
The waiver of sanctions stands seemingly at odds with remarks Sec. Antony Blinken made in March. "President Biden has been very clear for a long time in his view that Nord Stream 2 is a bad idea," Blinken said in a news conference. "So what I said was that we will continue to monitor activity to complete or certify the pipeline, and if that activity takes place, we will make a determination on the applicability of sanctions."
The sanctions had bipartisan support, and Republicans were quick to call out the administration for waiving them. "If these reports are true, they would indicate the Administration was never planning to do wh**ever it could to 'prevent the completion' of Nord Stream 2 – despite promises made to the contrary by Secretary Blinken in his confirmation hearing earlier this year," GOP Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas, top Republican on House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "If the Putin regime is allowed to finish this pipeline, it will be because the Biden Administration chose to let it happen." "Stunning. In defiance of U.S. law, Biden is actively helping Putin build his pipeline," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter. "Objectively speaking, the Biden administration is shaping up to be the most pro-Russia administration of the modern era."
Ex-Energy Sec. Brouillette: Biden's pipeline problem goes from bad to worse with Nord Stream 2 vs. Keystone
Biden's team must be asked why the interests of Russia, France and Germany have taken precedence over U.S. jobs and America’s national security?
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By Dan Brouillette FOXBusiness
Just two months into the Biden presidency and we are witnessing a remarkable juxtaposition on the issue of energy security that could have profound and serious implications both at home and abroad.
It was almost two years ago, on March 29, 2019, that then-President Trump signed an executive order granting final permission for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. A decade-long project in the making, it has been one of the most studied infrastructure projects in U.S. history supporting thousands of good-paying union jobs and strengthening our country’s security by ensuring the reliable and safe delivery of energy to the American people.
Importantly, it is also a project that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support. Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester noted “it has the potential to support thousands of good-paying jobs, increase tax revenue into local communities, and support a safer, more efficient alternative to t***sporting f****l f**l by truck or railroad.”
Democratic Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Joe Manchin, also stated that pipelines “undergo a rigorous permitting process” and that policymakers should “not let politics drive the decisions on the development and operation of our nation’s vital energy infrastructure.”
Nine months after signing the Keystone executive order, on December 20, 2019, President Trump also signed into law S.1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. Among many provisions and with strong bipartisan support, it included the imposition of targeted sanctions on those involved in constructing Russia's Nord Stream 2 (NS2). In the words of New Hampshire’s Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who worked with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on this provision, the imposition of sanctions on those who work to advance NS2 would send “an unmistakable, bipartisan message from Congress to Vladimir Putin that the United States will not sit idly by while the Kremlin seeks to further spread its malign influence.”
As with the observations of Senators Tester and Manchin on Keystone, Senators Shaheen and Cruz were correct on their analysis of NS2. If allowed to be completed, this new pipeline would double the amount of natural gas Russia t***sports directly to Europe and hand an enormous geopolitical victory to Vladimir Putin. It would solidify Russia’s dominance over Europe’s natural gas markets, at the expense of the United States and other countries, and by purposely bypassing Ukraine and Poland, make it easier for Russia to potentially to shut off gas supplies to Eastern Europe. Yet fast forward two years, and what a remarkable role reversal we are seeing today on the domestic and world stages.
On his very first day in office, President Biden issued an executive order cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline and eliminating the prospect of thousands of American union jobs. At the same time, despite recent vague rhetorical threats from Secretary of State Antony Blinken against those who are working on the pipeline, the president has thus far refused to impose the congressionally-mandated, bipartisan sanctions. In other words, under the new administration’s policies, Putin’s pipeline has been allowed to move forward without serious consequence, but a well-studied, economically important pipeline that would greatly benefit the people of the United States and Canada cannot. Or to put it into starker terms, the Biden administration is seemingly more worried about upsetting diplomatic relationships in Berlin and Paris versus upholding their commitment to “build back better,” protecting good-paying American jobs, and standing up to Russian aggression.
As these 40 senators point out in a letter to the Biden administration, not imposing NS2 sanctions allows “President Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe’s gas supplies and increase its geopolitical leverage.”
At the same time, the Biden administration is jeopardizing U.S. jobs, energy security, and environmental progress by hindering critical infrastructure development domestically. These decisions only serve to increase America’s reliance on energy from OPEC nations and Russia, which is produced with lower environmental standards and increases our vulnerability to their geopolitical manipulations.
It’s time we ask this administration why the interests of Russia, France and Germany have taken precedence over U.S. jobs and America’s national security. And will their deference to Putin’s oligarchs and Middle East monarchies continue as they consider calls by environmental activists to cancel additional American energy infrastructure? This administration is allowing American energy leadership to diminish by the day.Will the new president change his current course, or will we continue to see “America first” replaced with “America last”?
Dan R. Brouillette served as the United States Secretary of Energy from 2019 to 2021.
thebigp wrote:
The Nord Stream 2 deal will t***sfer Russian gas to Germany via a pipeline running under the Baltic Sea
By Morgan Phillips , Rich Edson FOXBusiness
The Biden administration will waive sanctions on the corporation and CEO overseeing the Nordsteam 2 pipeline construction, a source familiar tells Fox Business.
But at the same time, the State Department is expected to send its 90-day report to Congress listing entities involved in the pipeline’s construction that deserve sanctions. The State Department will acknowledge that the corporate entity in charge of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO, the Putin crony and former East German intelligence officer Matthias Warnig, are engaged in sanctionable activity, according to Axios, which first reported the news.
The Nord Stream 2 deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime will t***sfer Russian gas to Germany via a pipeline running under the Baltic Sea. If completed, this new pipeline would double the amount of natural gas Russia t***sports directly to Europe and hand an enormous geopolitical victory to Vladimir Putin.
In December, Congress passed legislation — the National Defense Authorization Act — that contained sanctions targeting companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream 2 project.
Another source familiar with the issue tells Fox Business this conclusion had been hinted at weeks ago and that it signals the U.S. is not willing to sacrifice its close relationship with Germany over the pipeline. In February, Biden also froze former President Trump’s plan to withdraw American troops from Germany.
But on his first day in office, President Biden issued an executive order cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline at home in the U.S.
Still, a State Department spokesperson condemned the pipeline and said others who are involved risk sanctions. "The Biden Administration has been clear that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO Allies and partners," the spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News. "We continue to examine entities involved in potentially sanctionable activity and have made it clear that companies risk sanctions if they are involved in Nord Stream 2. We will continue to underscore U.S. strong, bipartisan opposition to this Russian malign influence project."
The U.S. will continue to sanction ships involved in the building of Nord Stream 2 even though it refuses to sanction the company in charge of the project. Currently, Russia has to t***sport gas through Ukraine on its way to Europe. Completion of the pipeline would allow Russia to freeze out its former client state Ukraine, now operating under a democracy. Halting the 95 percent complete project would require sanctioning German users of the gas as well, and the Biden administration is not willing to risk its relationship with Germany to do so. The pipeline could be completed as soon as this summer.
The waiver of sanctions stands seemingly at odds with remarks Sec. Antony Blinken made in March. "President Biden has been very clear for a long time in his view that Nord Stream 2 is a bad idea," Blinken said in a news conference. "So what I said was that we will continue to monitor activity to complete or certify the pipeline, and if that activity takes place, we will make a determination on the applicability of sanctions."
The sanctions had bipartisan support, and Republicans were quick to call out the administration for waiving them. "If these reports are true, they would indicate the Administration was never planning to do wh**ever it could to 'prevent the completion' of Nord Stream 2 – despite promises made to the contrary by Secretary Blinken in his confirmation hearing earlier this year," GOP Rep. Michael McCaul, Texas, top Republican on House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement. "If the Putin regime is allowed to finish this pipeline, it will be because the Biden Administration chose to let it happen." "Stunning. In defiance of U.S. law, Biden is actively helping Putin build his pipeline," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on Twitter. "Objectively speaking, the Biden administration is shaping up to be the most pro-Russia administration of the modern era."
Ex-Energy Sec. Brouillette: Biden's pipeline problem goes from bad to worse with Nord Stream 2 vs. Keystone
Biden's team must be asked why the interests of Russia, France and Germany have taken precedence over U.S. jobs and America’s national security?
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Comments
• Print
• Email
By Dan Brouillette FOXBusiness
Just two months into the Biden presidency and we are witnessing a remarkable juxtaposition on the issue of energy security that could have profound and serious implications both at home and abroad.
It was almost two years ago, on March 29, 2019, that then-President Trump signed an executive order granting final permission for the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. A decade-long project in the making, it has been one of the most studied infrastructure projects in U.S. history supporting thousands of good-paying union jobs and strengthening our country’s security by ensuring the reliable and safe delivery of energy to the American people.
Importantly, it is also a project that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support. Montana’s Democratic Senator Jon Tester noted “it has the potential to support thousands of good-paying jobs, increase tax revenue into local communities, and support a safer, more efficient alternative to t***sporting f****l f**l by truck or railroad.”
Democratic Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Joe Manchin, also stated that pipelines “undergo a rigorous permitting process” and that policymakers should “not let politics drive the decisions on the development and operation of our nation’s vital energy infrastructure.”
Nine months after signing the Keystone executive order, on December 20, 2019, President Trump also signed into law S.1790, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. Among many provisions and with strong bipartisan support, it included the imposition of targeted sanctions on those involved in constructing Russia's Nord Stream 2 (NS2). In the words of New Hampshire’s Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who worked with Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz on this provision, the imposition of sanctions on those who work to advance NS2 would send “an unmistakable, bipartisan message from Congress to Vladimir Putin that the United States will not sit idly by while the Kremlin seeks to further spread its malign influence.”
As with the observations of Senators Tester and Manchin on Keystone, Senators Shaheen and Cruz were correct on their analysis of NS2. If allowed to be completed, this new pipeline would double the amount of natural gas Russia t***sports directly to Europe and hand an enormous geopolitical victory to Vladimir Putin. It would solidify Russia’s dominance over Europe’s natural gas markets, at the expense of the United States and other countries, and by purposely bypassing Ukraine and Poland, make it easier for Russia to potentially to shut off gas supplies to Eastern Europe. Yet fast forward two years, and what a remarkable role reversal we are seeing today on the domestic and world stages.
On his very first day in office, President Biden issued an executive order cancelling the Keystone XL pipeline and eliminating the prospect of thousands of American union jobs. At the same time, despite recent vague rhetorical threats from Secretary of State Antony Blinken against those who are working on the pipeline, the president has thus far refused to impose the congressionally-mandated, bipartisan sanctions. In other words, under the new administration’s policies, Putin’s pipeline has been allowed to move forward without serious consequence, but a well-studied, economically important pipeline that would greatly benefit the people of the United States and Canada cannot. Or to put it into starker terms, the Biden administration is seemingly more worried about upsetting diplomatic relationships in Berlin and Paris versus upholding their commitment to “build back better,” protecting good-paying American jobs, and standing up to Russian aggression.
As these 40 senators point out in a letter to the Biden administration, not imposing NS2 sanctions allows “President Putin to gain a stranglehold over Europe’s gas supplies and increase its geopolitical leverage.”
At the same time, the Biden administration is jeopardizing U.S. jobs, energy security, and environmental progress by hindering critical infrastructure development domestically. These decisions only serve to increase America’s reliance on energy from OPEC nations and Russia, which is produced with lower environmental standards and increases our vulnerability to their geopolitical manipulations.
It’s time we ask this administration why the interests of Russia, France and Germany have taken precedence over U.S. jobs and America’s national security. And will their deference to Putin’s oligarchs and Middle East monarchies continue as they consider calls by environmental activists to cancel additional American energy infrastructure? This administration is allowing American energy leadership to diminish by the day.Will the new president change his current course, or will we continue to see “America first” replaced with “America last”?
Dan R. Brouillette served as the United States Secretary of Energy from 2019 to 2021.
The Nord Stream 2 deal will t***sfer Russian gas t... (
show quote)
The pipeline was nearing completion ANYWAY. Trumps sanctions didn't stop, or even slow it down. The sanctions were lifted on GERMAN entities, not russian.
He is not doing it. His handlers are. Still no excuse....
lpnmajor wrote:
The pipeline was nearing completion ANYWAY. Trumps sanctions didn't stop, or even slow it down. The sanctions were lifted on GERMAN entities, not russian.
I've always said, follow the money! Who has benefited most from relationship with Russia? It's not the Trumps/Republicans. It's the democrats.
lpnmajor wrote:
The pipeline was nearing completion ANYWAY. Trumps sanctions didn't stop, or even slow it down. The sanctions were lifted on GERMAN entities, not russian.
That is not the problem here and I’m certain you are aware of that. By this time, Biden should be charged with Russian and Chinese and Iranian collusion...a la Trump.
My opinion on these pipelines is that biden (his handlers) was utterly stupid in stopping the keystone pipeline. He did not stop the flow of oil. He only made it more dangerous (rail cars and trucks) and more expensive causing a hike in oil prices. Your gas prices.
As for the Russian pipeline, that is an issue between Russia and Germany and the routes it takes. They are trying to make this a 'Russia bad' issue as a reason to stop it. That bull schitte has been going on at a frenzy level since 2016. But it goes farther back then that.
Consider this. We beat the USSR in the Cold War. When it ended, we had the chance for a great reset with a great nation, Russia, by engaging them in free trade. At that time, a great trade off with Russian oil would have been a great balance in the power of the oil cartel and saved us billions. The Russian people wanted freedom and not war. With a great opening of that trade they would have gotten more freedom and we and Europe might have gotten a great peace alliance covering the north of the northern hemisphere. But instead, NATO decided to fill the void between NATO and Russia with the Warsaw pact dissolving. By filling that void, a peace gap, they brought the old adversary lines further east, and pressuring Russia. It finally came to a stop when Russia had to defend itself against this eastern expansion of NATO. Crimea. Ukraine.
So, we are at the edge of local war when none is necessary. Meanwhile China gets Russian oil and Iranian oil and plays everyone off against each other while it continually seeks to expand its power economically and militarily throughout the world, but especially spreading out from China itself and into the Pacific.
Expand pipelines from Saudi Arabian oil into Europe and also Russian pipelines so oil becomes a competitive product and price goes down. Restart Keystone because it makes sense. Open our own drilling to again become energy independent. And engage Russia as a full trading partner, as another balance against China. And a potential good friend. It starts by opening the door and not shutting it at every opportunity.
Just a casual analysis as I see it.
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