Biden finally finds one pipeline he won't shut down

Hot Air.com ^ | April 24, 2021 | JAZZ SHAW

[Kaslin]

Among the many executive orders that Joe Biden issued upon taking office was one that shut down the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, putting tens of thousands of American jobs at risk. He’s had his eye on some other pipeline construction projects as well, a plan that will probably further impede the nation’s oil and gas industry as Biden works to impress his European friends with is climate advocacy. But in a bit of an ironic role reversal, there may be one such project that Biden won’t be bringing to a halt despite a bipartisan demand from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That would be Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline intended to bring natural gas to many European nations. The Biden administration has consistently said that they oppose the completion of the project, but Uncle Joe has yet to pull the trigger on new sanctions that might impact the pipeline’s construction because of (in case you couldn’t guess) politics. (Associated Press)

Pressure is growing on President Joe Biden to take action to prevent the completion of a Russian gas pipeline to Europe that many fear will give the Kremlin significant leverage over U.S. partners and allies. Yet such action could provoke an enormous rift in trans-Atlantic relations, notably with Germany, at a time when Biden has made restoring good ties with Europe a priority.

As the Nord Stream 2 pipeline nears completion, U.S. lawmakers from both parties have stepped up demands on a reluctant White House to impose new sanctions on Russian and European companies to halt the project. But prospects of that happening would seem slim: Germany continues to support the project as it steps up consumption of natural gas, and the pipeline is roughly 95% finished.

Joe Biden was supposed to be the “tough on Russia” President after years of claimed complacency by his predecessor. And to his credit, he has been vocally critical of some of Vladimir Putin’s excesses, particularly when it comes to the imprisonment of Alexei Navalny. But the pipeline being constructed by Gazprom (the Russian state oil company) represents an opportunity for the White House to score a win on both the domestic and foreign policy fronts. Completion of the Nord Stream 2 project will simultaneously reduce demand for American exports of natural gas in Europe and increase the leverage that Russia already holds over several eastern European nations and Germany.

The problem is that Germany is still supporting (and funding) the project. The sanctions being ordered by a unanimous vote on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee wouldn’t just be targeting Russians. They would also impact businesses and investors in Poland and Austria, as well as Germany. Biden has been looking to strengthen American relationships with those nations so they’ll back his plans for withdrawing from Afghanistan and his proposed climate treaty agenda.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is giving Joe Biden a couple of weeks to either impose the new sanctions or explain specifically why those entities should be exempt. Assuming the request for sanctions actually makes it to his desk, Biden could always veto it. But that would mean going up against all of the Democrats who are already backing the proposal. It’s a sticky situation to be sure.

Perhaps it’s time for someone in Congress to ask Joe Biden why jobs in Germany and eastern Europe are more important than construction jobs here in the United States. We seem to be simultaneously undermining our own country’s dominance in the global energy market while opening the door for the Russians to supplant us with our supposed European allies. But to be fair to Biden, it’s not clear that the sanctions could actually stop the Russian pipeline from going into operation. The project is already 95% complete and seems to have plenty of funding. Also, Angela Merkel came out this week and defended Nord Stream 2 by saying that Russian natural gas already flows freely into Europe through the original Nord Stream 1 pipeline under the Black Sea. And her country is facing periodic power outages after shutting down most of its nuclear and coal-fired plants.

Nothing is ever as easy as it looks from the outside, I suppose. That’s a lesson that Joe Biden may be learning as he goes.

[null and void]

EVERYTHING obama biden does either:

a) Weakens America/Americans
b) Distances America's allies
c) Strengthens America's enemies
d) Attacks Christianity
e) Serves islam
f) Harms Israel
Or some combination of the above.

The government wants to disarm us after 244 yrs 'cuz they plan to do things we would shoot them for!

At no point in history has any government ever wanted its people to be defenseless for any good reason ~ nully's son

The biggest killer of mankind

Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!

To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don't add you to the list...

[alloysteel]

Joe Stolen has embarked on a very steep learning curve, if he manages to get a foothold on it at all. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems, and being born with a mouth that works at approximately seven times the speed as his quickest thought has not helped his case in the least.

Nave you noticed how much his speech has slowed? The speed of his thinking capacity has also slowed proportionately.

It’s a big job, Joe, throw in the towel and go home to Delaware. And take Major with you.

[null and void]

Yeah, crystal clear to anyone living with a diagnosed dementia patient.

[CJ Wolf]

Book of mark.

[LegendHasIt]

More pipelines he won’t shut down:

1: the drug pipeline from Mexico

2: The undocumented Democrat voter pipeline from Mexico.

3: The child sex slave and adrenochrome pipeline from Mexico.

[Rusty0604]

“That’s a lesson that Joe Biden may be learning as he goes.”

I don’t think Biden is capable of learning any lessons.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Body-double. Wear a mask and shades. Keep Joey safe in his bed from America while Ho watches over him.

[moovova]

Hunter’s crack pipe?

[DesertRhino]

Or you could just be a capitalist and compete without government snaking private companies. It’s not the mission of the US government to use government power to crush competing projects.

Anyway the main reason Congress opposes NordStream is because it cuts corrupt and hostile and theft prone Ukraine out of the deal. DC has no problem with Russian gas going to the EU as long as it’s forced to pass through Ukraine. (Where Romney, Pelosi, Biden, etc all have financial interests)

[HollyB]

Add in manipulating children’s young minds in school
And dumbing down their education.

[Nifster]

Not an original idea in his head

[PIF]

Pipeline he won’t shut down? You mean the one from the Bank of China to his bank?

[pepsi_junkie]

Start with the reality that Biden has been on the wrong side of every major issue for the past 40 years. You don’t then need an explanation why he would be destroying American energy independence while simultaneously tacitly supporting Russia turning Western Europe into their energy serfs.

[mosesdapoet]

What really gets is those destructive energy policies of the demons sre not getting questioned by those so called gate keepers and they should be an issue hammered away at by every GOP candidate.

[Trumpisourlastchance]

It’s not our pipeline and none of our business.

Meanwhile, we’re bankrupt.

[Pennsyltucky Boy]

Lest we forget, he certainly will never shut off...

4. The laundered cash pipeline to the numbered accounts in the Grand Caymans.

[SaveFerris]

Did you do Sunday’s cryptogram?

Just don’t ping me lol