89R1142 KSM-F     By: Dorazio H.C.R. No. 15       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          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 89th Legislature of the State of Texas   hereby respectfully urge the federal government to support   construction of the Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline; and, be it   further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state 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.