Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said Tuesday that Russia is a threat to global energy stability, saying that last week’s intervention by the country in Syria threatened to raise energy prices and cause supply disruptions.
“Just last week, the Russian intervention in Syria add[ed] another element of geopolitical uncertainty in that entire region,” Moniz told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Russia attacked U.S.-backed factions in Syria after it agreed to aid U.S. forces against Islamic State radicals.
Moniz said Russia’s presence in the oil-rich region adds the latest element of uncertainty to global energy markets, in addition to increased cyber threats aimed at U.S. energy assets, physical threats and the threat of climate change.
Moniz was testifying on the need for keeping the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve in good working condition due to the growing Russian threat and to “protect the U.S. economy … due to a major disruption.”
