,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gjd ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #g1 #bjai,mr4 ,murphy 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,johnson1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mr4 ,rubio1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 and ,mr4 ,gardner7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordination among ,united ,states agencies to encourage countries in ,central and ,eastern ,europe to diversify their energy sources and supply routes1 increase ,europe's 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 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,central or ,eastern ,european country ,the term ,central or ,eastern ,european country includes-- 7,a7 ,albania2 7,b7 ,bosnia and ,herzegovina2 7,c7 ,bulgaria2 7,d7 ,croatia2 7,e7 ,cyprus2 7,f7 the ,czech ,republic2 7,g7 ,estonia2 7,h7 ,greece2 7,i7 ,hungary2 7,j7 ,kosovo2 7,k7 ,latvia2 7,l7 ,lithuania2 7,m7 ,macedonia2 7,n7 ,moldova2 7,o7 ,montenegro2 7,p7 ,poland2 7,q7 ,romania2 7,r7 ,serbia2 7,s7 ,slovakia2 7,t7 ,slovenia2 and 7,u7 ,ukraine4 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 debt financing1 insurance1 and transaction advisory services4 #c4 ,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 ,central and ,eastern ,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 ,central and ,eastern ,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 allies and partners of the ,united ,states 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 ,european energy infrastructure projects 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 allies and partners of the ,united ,states1 including in ,central and ,eastern ,europe4 #d4 ,prioritization of efforts and assistance for energy infrastructure projects in ,central and ,eastern ,europe 7a7 ,in general ,in pursuing the policy described in section #c1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the heads of ,united ,states agencies that operate under the policy guidance of the ,secretary1 shall1 as appropriate1 prioritize and expedite the efforts of the ,department of ,state and those agencies in supporting the efforts of the ,european ,commission and the governments of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries to increase their energy security1 including through-- 7#a7 providing diplomatic and political support to the ,european ,commission and those governments1 as necessary-- 7,a7 to facilitate international negotiations concerning cross-border infrastructure2 7,b7 to enhance ,europe's regulatory environment with respect to energy2 and 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 support for the construction or improvement of energy infrastructure1 as necessary-- 7,a7 to diversify the energy sources and supply routes of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries2 7,b7 to enhance energy market integration across the region2 and 7,c7 to increase competition within energy markets4 7b7 ,project selection 7#a7 ,in general ,the agencies described in subsection 7a7 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 or other electricity generation facilities to increase the efficiency and reliability of electricity production2 and 7,b7 located in a ,central or ,eastern ,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 link the energy systems of two or more ,central and ,eastern ,european countries2 7,b7 have already been identified by the ,european ,commission as being integral for the energy security of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries2 7,c7 are expected to enhance energy market integration2 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 services during project implementation4 7c7 ,types of assistance 7#a7 ,diplomatic and political support ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide diplomatic and political support to the ,european ,commission and the governments of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries1 as necessary1 including by using the diplomatic and political influence and expertise of the ,department of ,state to build the capacity of those countries to resolve any impediments to the development of projects selected under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,early-stage project support ,the ,director of the ,trade and ,development ,agency shall provide early-stage project support with respect to projects selected under subsection 7b71 as necessary4 7#c7 ,late-stage project support ,agencies described in subsection 7a7 that provide late-stage project support shall do so with respect to projects selected under subsection 7b71 as necessary4 7d7 ,funding 7#a7 ,private sector investment ,the agencies described in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 are authorized to provide financing of not more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj to support private sector investment in projects that diversify the energy sources and energy transport capabilities of ,central and ,eastern ,european countries and to improve energy market integration in those countries2 and 7,b7 shall ensure that amounts from such investments are available for fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd for debt financing and insurance for projects under this section4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations for ,trade and ,development ,agency ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,director of the ,trade and ,development ,agency for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd-- 7,a7 #e1jjj1jjj to provide assistance under this section2 and 7,b7 such sums as may be necessary for the ,agency to employ additional personnel to provide such assistance4 7#c7 ,countering ,russian ,influence ,fund ,section #bed7;b7 of the ,countering ,russian ,influence in ,europe and ,eurasia ,act of #bjag 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #iedc7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#g7 ,to assist ,united ,states agencies in providing assistance under section #d of the ,european ,energy ,security and ,diversification ,act of #bjai4 4 #e4 ,progress reports ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 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 #d that includes-- 7#a7 a description of the energy infrastructure projects the ,united ,states has identified for such assistance2 and 7#b7 for each such project-- 7,a7 a description of the role of the ,united ,states in the project1 including in early-stage project support and late-stage project support2 7,b7 the amount and form of any debt financing and insurance provided by the ,united ,states ,government for the project2 7,c7 the amount and form of any early-stage project support2 and 7,d7 an update on the progress made on the project as of the date of the report4