88R30848 KSM-F
 
  By: Dorazio H.R. No. 2050
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The United States and Israel have a long history of
  being strong allies, sharing many mutually beneficial values and
  interests; and
         WHEREAS, Europe needs additional sources of natural gas, and
  the United States has repeatedly urged Europe to wean itself off
  Russian natural gas and to pursue broader interests in the Middle
  East; and
         WHEREAS, The proposed Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline,
  which would connect the natural gas fields of Israel to southern
  Europe by way of Cyprus and Greece, has previously had bipartisan
  support in the United States; as vice president under Barack Obama,
  Joe Biden was a vocal supporter of the project, and in 2020, with
  the backing of former president Donald Trump's administration,
  Israel, Cyprus, and Greece signed an agreement aiming to complete
  the $6 billion pipeline by 2025; and
         WHEREAS, In January 2022, President Joe Biden informed the
  countries that the United States was withdrawing its support for
  the project, citing environmental concerns as his administration
  attempts to move away from fossil fuels; and
         WHEREAS, Natural gas is an important low-emissions fuel for
  improving human life, and Israel has abundant natural gas reserves
  offshore, in excess of what is needed for its own domestic use; the
  completion of the Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline from Israel to
  southern Europe would be a benefit to the region and to all of the
  countries involved in the project; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas
  Legislature hereby respectfully urge the federal government to
  support construction of the Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline;
  and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the chief clerk of the Texas House of
  Representatives forward official copies of this resolution to the
  president of the United States, to the president of the Senate and
  the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States
  Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress
  with the request that this resolution be entered in the
  Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United
  States of America.