Washington Examiner: Russia-Ukraine natural gas fight comes to Capitol Hill
Russian energy giant Gazprom's decision to cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine is expected to amplify talks about natural gas exports scheduled to begin this week on Capitol Hill.
The move by the state-owned company comes as Congress' natural gas export discussions, which had recently cooled off following an initial frenzy when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March, are heating up in the House and the Senate. The upper chamber's Energy and Natural Resources Committee is holding a hearing Thursday, while the House plans to vote on a bill to expedite exports next week, aides confirmed Monday to the Washington Examiner.
The recent tension between Russia -- which has used its dominance of Central and Eastern European gas markets as a political weapon -- and Ukraine will change the flavor of the Senate hearing. It also will heighten focus on the Colorado Senate race, a key midterm battle for Senate control predicated on identical natural gas export bills.