Congress quietly adopts Exxon Mobil-backed law promoting new gas pipeline, arms to Cyprus - THE INTERCEPT_

February 6 2020, 2:00 p.m.

Steve Horn, Lee Fang

IN A BITTERLY divided Congress, lawmakers still managed to come together to help Exxon Mobil pass major legislation that could remake the geopolitics of the Middle East and Europe.

During the holiday season legislative blitz in December, legislators tucked an obscure provision into the omnibus spending package that lifted arms restrictions and boosted a controversial pipeline deal in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The legislative text, mirroring a bill that has circulated in Congress over the last year, promises a range of U.S. assistance for the development of natural gas resources off the coasts of Israel and Cyprus, including support for constructing pipelines and liquified natural gas terminals and the creation of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center in the region run by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Sen. Menendez Says East Med Act Ties U.S., Greece, Cyprus Closer - THE NATIONAL HERALD

December 21, 2019

WASHINGTON – With Turkey claiming seas around Cyprus and Greek islands, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, lauded Congress’ approval of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act he said has brought “a new day in Greek-American relations.”

He was a co-author of the measure and an ally of Greece and Cyprus during increasingly tense relations with Turkey, which is drilling for oil and gas off the island and wants to do the same off Greek islands.

Speaking to Greece’s state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency (ANA-MPA) he said that, “I felt that we were in a moment in which the stars were aligned. I think there is a growing recognition of the importance of Greece and Cyprus along with Israel as a new strategy for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Superpowers Are Vying For Power In This New Oil & Gas Frontier - OIL PRICE

Aug 29, 2019, 3:00 PM CDT

Vanand Meliksetian

The Eastern Mediterranean has become a hotbed for tensions between regional and great powers due to the discovery of major energy deposits. The littoral states could potentially earn billions in gas exports while at the same time ensuring a level of energy security, which is rare to the region. However, the on-going activities create a level of complexity, which is an opportunity for countries such as the U.S. and Russia to exert influence.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned of "revisionist powers like Iran, Russia, and China trying to take major footholds in the East and West." The U.S. wishes to create an alliance of countries connected through multilateral interdependence. The backbone of the coalition is to be formed by Greece, Cyprus, and Israel.

The most critical driver for Washington’s assertiveness is Russia’s resurgence as a major force which can project power in the wider region. Moscow's relatively successful policy in the Middle East and its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean through its military intervention in Syria are making the U.S. wary of Russian influence.

Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center is Necessary - INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST

22 MAY 2019
Robert M. Cutler and Theodore Karasik

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to the eastern Mediterranean in March accentuates the American search for ways to integrate energy development into a broader security entente or organization. It came nearly at the same time that the bipartisan-sponsored Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 was introduced in the U.S. Congress. This bill mandates the establishment of a United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center and requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress on a “plan to work with United States businesses seeking to invest in Eastern Mediterranean energy exploration, development, and cooperation.”

The international security aspects of the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act focus on cooperation with Cyprus, Greece, and Israel. The language proposing to establish the Energy Center, however, does not have that restriction.

According to the legislation, the center would be established by the Secretary of Energy in consultation with the Secretary of State. At least the initial funds would therefore presumably come from appropriations to the respective Departments in the executive branch. Yet it would not need to be based in Washington.