Biden Builds Russian Pipelines Back Better

Biden Thinks Pipelines – Like Russia’s Nord Stream 2 – Are OK, Just Not American Ones

PUTIN AND HIS CRONIES GET A GIFT FROM BIDEN

• Last week, Biden waived sanctions on the CEO and corporation responsible for building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, effectively clearing the way for the pipeline to be completed.
  • The corporation, Nord Stream 2 AG, is a subsidiary of the Russian gas company Gazprom.
  • Nord Stream AG CEO Matthias Warnig is a Putin ally, former member of the East German secret police (the Stasi), and sits on the boards of multiple Russian state-controlled firms.
• This comes just two weeks after the Russian criminal group DarkSide conducted a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, disrupting America’s energy supply.
• Experts almost unanimously agree Nord Stream 2 benefits Russia geopolitically while harming the United States, our allies, and countries in the region.
• Biden’s waived sanctions showcase his weak stance toward Russia and hypocrisy when it comes to building pipelines.

PIPELINES ARE OKAY, JUST NOT AMERICAN ONES

• Biden’s Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm admitted that “pipe is the best way to go” – but apparently not when it comes to American pipelines.
• Immediately after coming into office, Biden cancelled the Keystone XL Pipeline, killing 11,000 jobs, including 8,000 union jobs.
• Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) is pushing to shut down the Enbridge Line 5 Pipeline, which would endanger 33,755 jobs.

NORD STREAM 2 IS A MAJOR SECURITY RISK

• While the U.S. “clearly” wants to supply Europe with liquefied natural gas, the concerns are not just economic.
• Built by the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom, Nord Stream 2 would increase Europe’s dependence on Russia for energy and strengthen Putin’s economic and political influence.
• Members of Biden’s administration have admitted that this pipeline is a malign and dangerous project.
  • A U.S. State Department spokesperson: “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.”
  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “President Biden has been very clear for a long time in his view that Nord Stream 2 is a bad idea.”
  • Press Secretary Jen Psaki: “We’ve continued to convey that we believe it’s a bad — a bad idea, a bad plan… in large part because our view is that it’s a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and in the East — and Eastern Flank NATO Allies and partners. Hence, there’s a geopolitical concern about this pipeline, and we’ve taken steps over the last several days to make that clear.”
• Our allies have also chastised the project over its risk to energy security.
  • In 2016, eight EU countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Lithuania – signed a letter objecting to the Nord Stream 2 project.
  • In 2021, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly – 581 to 50 – to block work on the pipeline.

BIDEN HAS BEEN HEAVILY CRITICIZED FOR HIS DECISION TO WAIVE SANCTIONS

• Biden is abandoning America’s allies by waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2, with several European countries upset by this move.
  • Poland’s government spokesman Piotr Muller said Biden’s move “is definitely not positive from the security point of view, as we know perfectly that Nord Stream 2 is not only a business project – it is mostly a geopolitical project.”
  • The Ukrainian parliament overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on U.S. lawmakers to override Biden’s decision to waive sanctions.
• Even Democrats are calling out Biden for waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2.
  • Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ): “I am opposed to the decision by the Biden Administration to waive sanctions on NS2 AG and Matthias Warnig.”
  • Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH): “I’m disappointed the administration will not hold Nord Stream 2 AG to the same standard… Every option available to prevent its completion should be utilized.”
  • Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) joined Republicans in slamming Biden’s decision as waiving sanctions against “a Putin crony and former Stasi goon.”