"US Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week led Senators Rob Portman, John Barrasso, Ron Johnson, Tom Cotton, and Ted Cruz in introducing an amendment to the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act to stop the Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline project," the release said on Monday.
The amendment would impose mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the release said.
In September, the House of Representatives passed the legislation on a 316-113 vote.
The $768 billion US defense policy bill has bipartisan support and is expected to pass the Senate with easy approval once Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer schedules a vote.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was completed on September 10 and will deliver gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The process of certifying Nord Stream 2 AG as the pipeline’s independent operator is currently underway to ensure the project complies with the conditions of the February 12 EU Gas Directive.
The German regulator has to make a decision on certification by January 2022.
Ukraine, which currently has a gas transit agreement with Russia, has been a vocal opponent of the pipeline, fearing revenue losses after its commissioning, and claims that the pipeline threatens the energy security of Ukraine and Europe.
Moscow, however, has repeatedly said that it would continue relying on Ukraine's transport capacities to pump gas to Europe in the coming years despite building additional pipelines.