The United States has long considered obstructing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would have the capacity to send 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas directly to Germany by way of the Baltic Sea -- bypassing Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine.
What Happened During a visit to Ukraine on May 21, U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry warned that a sanctions bill targeting Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project could come in the "not too distant future." This comes after four U.S. senators introduced a bipartisan bill on May 15, known as the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act, aimed at obstructing the pipeline between Germany and Russia. If signed into law, the bill would impose financial and travel sanctions against any pipe-laying vessels involved in constructing Russian offshore energy export pipelines, including individuals and companies that facilitate the use of such vessels. Why It Matters It remains unclear whether the United States would pass the sanctions bill before the end of the year, or whether such sanctions would come in time to derail the pipeline project.
