,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #adec ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #bh1 #bjai,mr4 ,kinzinger 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,caul1 and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordination among ,united ,states agencies to encourage ,european countries to diversify their energy sources and supply routes1 increase ,european countries' energy security1 and help the ,united ,states reach its global energy security goals1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,european ,energy ,security and ,diversification ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,statement of policy 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that the ,united ,states has economic and national security interests in assisting ,european countries achieve energy security through diversification of their energy sources and supply routes4 7b7 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to advance ,united ,states foreign policy and development goals by assisting ,european countries to reduce their dependence on energy resources from countries that use energy dependence for undue political influence1 such as the ,russian ,federation1 which has used natural gas to coerce1 intimidate1 and influence other countries2 7#b7 to promote the energy security of ,european countries by encouraging the development of accessible1 transparent1 and competitive energy markets that provide diversified sources1 types1 and routes of energy2 7#c7 to encourage ,united ,states public and private sector investment in energy infrastructure projects in ,european countries to bridge the gap between energy security requirements and commercial demand in a way that is consistent with the region's absorptive capacity2 and 7#d7 to help facilitate the export of ,united ,states energy resources1 technology1 and expertise to global markets in a way that benefits the energy security of ,european countries4 #c4 ,prioritization of efforts and assistance for energy infrastructure projects in ,europe 7a7 ,in general ,in pursuing the policy described in section #b7;b71 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the heads of ,united ,states agencies that operate under the foreign policy guidance of the ,secretary1 shall1 as appropriate1 prioritize and expedite the efforts of the ,department of ,state or of such agencies to support the efforts of ,european countries to increase their energy security1 including through-- 7#a7 providing diplomatic1 political1 and technical support to ,european countries-- 7,a7 to facilitate international negotiations with respect to cross-border infrastructure2 7,b7 to enhance ,european countries' regulatory environment with respect to energy2 or 7,c7 to develop accessible1 transparent1 and competitive energy markets supplied by diverse sources1 types1 and routes of energy2 and 7#b7 providing support to improve ,european energy markets1 including early-stage project support and late-stage project support1 for the construction or improvement of energy infrastructure-- 7,a7 to diversify the energy sources and supply routes of ,european countries2 7,b7 to enhance energy market integration across the region2 or 7,c7 to increase competition within energy markets4 7b7 ,project selection 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the agencies described in subsection 7a71 shall identify energy infrastructure projects that would be appropriate for ,united ,states assistance under this section4 7#b7 ,project eligibility ,a project is eligible for ,united ,states assistance under this section if the project is-- 7,a7 related to-- 7i7 natural gas infrastructure1 such as interconnectors1 storage facilities1 liquefied natural gas import facilities1 or reverse flow capacity2 7ii7 electricity transmission infrastructure1 electricity storage projects1 or smart grid projects2 7iii7 renewable energy projects in wind1 solar1 tidal1 or other forms2 or 7iv7 the improvement1 rehabilitation1 or construction of natural gas1 coal1 nuclear1 or other electricity generation facilities to increase the efficiency and reliability of electricity production2 and 7,b7 located in a ,european country4 7#c7 ,preference ,in selecting among projects that are eligible under paragraph 7#b71 the agencies described in subsection 7a7 shall give preference to projects that-- 7,a7 improve the capacity of energy systems to efficiently transfer gas and electricity within and between ,european countries2 7,b7 have already been identified by the ,european ,commission as being integral for the energy security of ,european countries2 7,c7 are expected to enhance energy market integration and transparency2 7,d7 can attract funding from the private sector1 an international financial institution1 the government of the country in which the project will be carried out1 or the ,european ,commission2 or 7,e7 have the potential to use ,united ,states goods and services4 7c7 ,countering russian influence fund ,section #bed of the ,countering ,russian ,influence in ,europe and ,eurasia ,act of #bjag 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iedc7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a71 by striking fiscal years #bjah and #bjai and inserting fiscal years #bjah through #bjba2 and 7#b7 in subsection 7b71 by adding at the end the following3 7#g7 ,to assist ,united ,states agencies in providing assistance under section #c of the ,european ,energy ,security and ,diversification ,act of #bjai4 4 #d4 ,progress reports ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter for seven years1 the ,president shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives a report on progress made in providing assistance for projects under section #c that includes-- 7#a7 a description of the energy infrastructure projects for which the ,united ,states has provided assistance2 and 7#b7 for each such project-- 7,a7 a description of the role of the ,united ,states in the project1 including the amount and form of any early-stage project support or late-stage project support2 and 7,b7 an update on the progress made on the project as of the date of the report4 #e4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,european country ,the term ,european country means the following3 7,a7 ,albania4 7,b7 ,andorra4 7,c7 ,austria4 7,d7 ,belgium4 7,e7 ,bosnia and ,herzegovina4 7,f7 ,bulgaria4 7,g7 ,croatia4 7,h7 ,cyprus4 7,i7 ,the ,czech ,republic4 7,j7 ,denmark4 7,k7 ,estonia4 7,l7 ,finland4 7,m7 ,france4 7,n7 ,germany4 7,o7 ,greece4 7,p7 ,hungary4 7,q7 ,ireland4 7,r7 ,italy4 7,s7 ,kosovo4 7,t7 ,latvia4 7,u7 ,liechtenstein4 7,v7 ,lithuania4 7,w7 ,luxembourg4 7,x7 ,moldova4 7,y7 ,monaco4 7,z7 ,montenegro4 7,,aa7 ,the ,netherlands4 7,,bb7 ,north ,macedonia4 7,,cc7 ,norway4 7,,dd7 ,poland4 7,,ee7 ,portugal4 7,,ff7 ,romania4 7,,gg7 ,san ,marino4 7,,hh7 ,serbia4 7,,ii7 ,slovakia4 7,,jj7 ,slovenia4 7,,kk7 ,spain4 7,,ll7 ,sweden4 7,,mm7 ,switzerland4 7,,nn7 ,ukraine4 7,,oo7 ,united ,kingdom4 7,,pp7 ,vatican ,city4 7#b7 ,early-stage project support ,the term early-stage project support includes-- 7,a7 feasibility studies2 7,b7 resource evaluations2 7,c7 project appraisal and costing2 7,d7 pilot projects2 7,e7 commercial support1 such as trade missions1 reverse trade missions1 technical workshops1 international buyer programs1 and international partner searchers to link suppliers to projects2 7,f7 technical assistance and other guidance to improve the local regulatory environment and market frameworks to encourage transparent competition and enhance energy security2 and 7,g7 long-term energy sector planning4 7#c7 ,late-stage project support ,the term late-stage project support includes loans1 guarantees1 insurance1 reinsurance1 equity investments1 and transaction advisory services4 7#d7 ,international financial institution ,the term international financial institution has the meaning given the term in section #agja7;c7 of the ,international ,financial ,institutions ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfbr7c774