CEPA’s Edward Lucas Testifies Before
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Renewed Focus on European Energy Security
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2014 – Yesterday, Edward Lucas, Senior Fellow and Contributing Editor at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on European Affairs. Called to consider the impact that energy imports have on European political decision-making, the subcommittee assessed America’s role in helping Europe break free of its reliance on single-source energy providers. Adding urgency to the issue, the hearing occurred amid an on-going gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, unresolved questions over the future of the South Stream pipeline, as well as upcoming negotiations for Russian long-term supply contracts across Europe.
In his testimony, Lucas stressed: “We also need to improve the West’s resilience and solidarity in the face of Russian pressure. American exports of LNG may seem like a marginal element in the global natural gas market. But they are crucial to European security.” He further added that, “American LNG is an American product, which American firms want to sell to American allies. Government should allow this.”
The full written testimony is available here