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H.R. 6772 (117th): Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act

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The text of the bill below is as of Feb 18, 2022 (Introduced). The bill was not enacted into law.

Summary of this bill

In the words of Game of Thrones: “Winter is coming.” What will that mean for the war in Ukraine?

Context

In November, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg accused Russian President Vladimir Putin “using winter as a weapon of war.” As temperatures fall below freezing, Russia is directly attacking Ukraine’s heating, power grid, and electrical infrastructure.

Russia is also hoping that as temperatures plummet, many nations which have maintained a Russian oil embargo since shortly after the invasion — including the U.S. and most countries in Europe — will cave and reverse that decision.

As a result, increased consideration is now being given to congressional legislation on the topic which was …

I

117th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 6772

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 18, 2022

(for himself, Mr. Ellzey, Mr. McKinley, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Budd, Mr. Keller, and Ms. Cheney) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

A BILL

To amend the Natural Gas Act to authorize expedited approval of applications to export natural gas to certain allies of the United States, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act.

2.

Natural gas exports to allies and strategic partners

(a)

Finding

Congress finds that expediting the approval of natural gas export applications for projects intended to increase the capacity of the United States to export natural gas to allies and strategic partners will—

(1)

empower United States natural gas exporters to better assist the strategic and national security interests of the United States and allies and strategic partners of the United States; and

(2)

lead to job growth, economic development, and energy security.

(b)

Natural gas exports

Section 3(c) of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717b(c)) is amended—

(1)

by striking (c) For purposes and inserting the following:

(c)

Expedited application and approval process

(1)

Definition of covered nation

(A)

In general

In this subsection, the term covered nation—

(i)

means an ally described in section 3(b)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2753(b)(2)); and

(ii)

during the period described in subparagraph (B), includes Cyprus, Finland, Moldova, Sweden, Taiwan, and Ukraine.

(B)

Period described

The period described in this subparagraph is the period—

(i)

beginning on the date of enactment of the Expediting Natural Gas Exports to Allies Act; and

(ii)

ending on December 31, 2026, or such later date as the President determines is in the interest of national defense (as defined in section 702 of the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4552)) or is otherwise in the interests of the United States.

(2)

Expedited approval

Except as provided in paragraph (3), for purposes

;

(2)

in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by inserting the exportation of natural gas to a covered nation, before or the exportation; and

(3)

by adding at the end the following:

(3)

Exclusions

(A)

Nations subject to sanctions

The Commission shall not grant expedited approval under paragraph (2) of an application for exportation of natural gas to any nation that is subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States.

(B)

Nations designated by Congress

The Commission shall not grant expedited approval under paragraph (2) of an application for exportation of natural gas to any nation designated by an Act of Congress as excluded from such expedited approval for reasons of national security.

.

(c)

Effect

The amendments made by subsection (b) shall not affect any Federal authorization to export natural gas from the United States to a foreign nation or to import natural gas into the United States from a foreign nation that is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act.