Hoeven Statement After Voting for Legislation to Impose Sanctions on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after voting for legislation to impose mandatory sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will carry natural gas produced in Russia to the European market. The legislation would impose mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG as well as any corporate officer of an entity planning, constructing or operating the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, and would subject any removal of the sanctions to congressional review. However, the legislation was blocked from passage by Senate Democrats.

“The Biden administration continues to undermine North American energy production, while allowing the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” said Hoeven. “The Biden administration’s support for more Russian energy delivery to Europe makes the U.S., our allies and our partners in Europe less secure. Enforcing sanctions on Nord Stream 2 is a significant method of deterring Russian aggression against Ukraine.”

Hoeven has repeatedly pressed the administration to counter Russia’s influence over America’s allies in Europe. This includes urging President Biden, in recent letters led by Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), to follow U.S. law and impose congressionally-mandated sanctions on the company leading the Nord Stream 2 project. Hoeven also helped introduce legislation sponsored by Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) to reinstate and expand the sanctions being waived by the Biden administration on Russia and the entities involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline’s construction. 

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