U.S. Senator Steve Daines chaired a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the need for energy reform in Europe, focusing on building a resilient energy network and reducing reliance on Russian resources. The session included testimony from Geoffrey Pyatt, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Global Energy Center, and Dan Byers, vice president of policy at the Global Energy Institute at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Daines began his remarks by emphasizing the link between energy security and national security for both the United States and Europe. “Energy security is national security. Both the United States and Europe have become increasingly aware of that fact over the last four years; creating an opportunity for us to collectively build a resilient energy production and transport network that forms the bedrock of our economies,” he stated.
He acknowledged recent regulatory reforms by the European Commission as progress towards pro-energy, pro-business policies, saying: “The European Commission’s recent regulatory reform is a step in the right direction, aligning bloc-wide regulations with more pro-energy, pro-business, and pro-market policies. Passing that reform took creativity and courage and I would like to commend the European People’s Party and their voting partners for the good work they did on that package.”
However, Daines warned that further action is needed to secure Europe’s energy future. “But there is still more to be done. All of Europe must recognize that it cannot function or recognize its economic and security goals without baseload power and it must enact further regulatory reform to modernize the European energy ecosystem. The continent has an opportunity to permanently end its reliance on Russian energy, providing true independence and autonomy for America’s partners on the other side of the Atlantic. Without enacting further regulatory reform, Europe may find itself staring down the barrel of resuming Russian energy dominance or extortion, putting itself back in the vulnerable position of 2022.”
Reflecting on lessons from recent events in Ukraine, Daines added: “If Europe learns nothing else from the Russian invasion of Ukraine let it be that energy security and supply chains are vital to national sovereignty. Compromises cannot be made in those matters, and we must work together to ensure those networks’ resilience and survivability.”
He cited Spain and Portugal as examples where dependence on intermittent power sources led to widespread outages: “I encourage our European partners to take a realistic view on building reliable energy infrastructure. One need look no further than Spain and Portugal to see the dangers of overreliance on intermittent sources. The entire Iberian Peninsula found itself without power last year, underscoring the vulnerability of countries that fail to maintain a diverse set of energy sources.”
Daines stressed that reliable baseload power will be essential as Western economies advance: “As the West builds the economy that will drive our countries forward, baseload power will become even more important. Whether it be for data centers, manufacturing, or defense production, reliable power is the backbone of our future prosperity. The United States and many of our partners and allies stand at the ready to work with Europe to increase energy supply, be it oil, gas, nuclear, hydro, or renewable. The reinvigoration of our economies will require a holistic, all of the above energy approach.”
He concluded by urging immediate action from European leaders: “Europe must act now, enacting the regulatory reforms and infrastructure investments necessary to sign long-term energy import and development contracts and ensure the European continent’s future. Prosperity and security are dependent on such changes, and I look forward to continuing to work with our European partners to build a brighter, more secure future for us all.”
Senator Daines represents Montana in Congress and has been involved in public service through committee leadership. He grew up in Bozeman as a fifth-generation Montanan and holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Montana State University.
