Republican Senator Richard Lugar urged the United States to remain a key diplomatic player in advancing the Southern Gas Corridor, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
In his letter to the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee Lugar said that the U.S. Congress should give European allies access to burgeoning supplies of U.S. natural gas. He proposed a new law that, according to him, would improve energy security in a critical region.
Lugar said that his bill would advance U.S. interests by helping allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reduce their dependence on gas imports from Russia, and also would help Turkey wean itself from Iranian supplies.
“My legislation would place NATO allies on equal footing with free trade partners under U.S. law in providing for automatic licenses for U.S. (liquefied natural gas) exports,” Lugar said in a letter.
