U.S. Lawmakers Urge Biden to Revive Kurdistan Pipeline for Economic Relief
(Reuters) — A new U.S. approach is needed to facilitate the re-opening of a pipeline between Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region and Turkey, a trio of U.S. congressmen urged President Biden in a letter seen by Reuters.
The pipeline contributes about 0.5% of global oil supply, and has been shut since March, costing the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) roughly $4 billion in lost exports, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Turkey halted flows on Iraq's northern oil export route this year after an arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ordered Ankara to pay Baghdad damages for unauthorized exports by the KRG between 2014 and 2018.
With global oil supplies being restricted by OPEC+ and prices rising, the United States would also benefit from the resumption of flows from northern Iraq's oil sector.
The KRG has served as one of the United States' most reliable partners in the Middle East, said the letter signed by three members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday.
However, the closure of the pipeline has cut the region off from the majority of its revenue, the letter said, citing a communique to Biden this month in which KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani warned the economic drain on the region could trigger its collapse.
The KRG is being "economically strangled, politically and legally pressured ... and militarily threatened by Iran and Iran-backed elements in Baghdad," added the letter from congressmen Michael Waltz, Michael T. McCaul and Joe Wilson.
It called for a "new Iraq strategy" to help fix the crisis, but did not detail what that should be.
The letter came ahead of a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York.
Blinken during the meeting "underscored U.S. support" for the re-opening of a pipeline.
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in LondonEditing by Mark Potter)
Related News
Related News
- Kinder Morgan Proposes 290-Mile Gas Pipeline Expansion Spanning Three States
- Enbridge Plans 86-Mile Pipeline Expansion, Bringing 850 Workers to Northern B.C.
- Intensity, Rainbow Energy to Build 344-Mile Gas Pipeline Across North Dakota
- U.S. Moves to Block Enterprise Products’ Exports to China Over Security Risk
- Court Ruling Allows MVP’s $500 Million Southgate Pipeline Extension to Proceed
- U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds
- A Systematic Approach To Ensuring Pipeline Integrity
- 275-Mile Texas-to-Oklahoma Gas Pipeline Enters Open Season
- LNG Canada Start-Up Fails to Lift Gas Prices Amid Supply Glut
- TC Energy’s North Baja Pipeline Expansion Brings Mexico Closer to LNG Exports
Comments