Description:
S. 1102 would authorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish the United States-Eastern Mediterranean Energy Center, which would conduct research and share information on issues related to offshore energy development in the region. On the basis of information from DOE and the costs of similar cooperative efforts, CBO estimates that it would cost a total of $24 million over the 2020-2024 period to staff and operate that energy center. The bill also would authorize the appropriation of about $6 million over the 2020-2022 period for education and training programs for the armed forces of Greece and Cyprus and $3 million in 2020 to allow Greece to purchase U.S. defense items through the Foreign Military Financing program. Outlays for those programs would total $8 million over the 2020-2024 period. Finally, S. 1102 would require the Administration to report to the Congress on energy security and cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean and on interference by Russia and other countries in Cyprus, Greece, and Israel. Using information about the costs of similar reports, CBO estimates that satisfying the reporting requirements in S. 1102 would cost less than $500,000 over the 2019-2024 period. In total, implementing the bill would cost $33 million over the 2020-2024 period, CBO estimates (see Table 1). That spending would be subject to the appropriation of the estimated and specified authorizations.
