Svoboda Today, the daily news service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has carried a report on a new liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal now in operation in Lithuania. The report and the detailed video it contains are available at the following website:

  

http://www.rferl.org/media/video/lituania-challenges-russian-dominance-in-baltic/27532344.html

  

Lithuania has long been subject to political and economic blackmail from Russia and the state-owned conglomerate Gasprom because it was 100% dependent on energy supplies from the former Soviet Union. But now, with its new Baltic Sea terminal, Lithuania can not only meet its entire national demand with LNG from Norway, it has the capability of supplying Estonia and Latvia - its Baltic neighbors - with 80% of their needs, as well.

  

Moreover, a pipeline currently under construction into Poland and then on to Ukraine offers the prospect that these former Warsaw Pact countries will also shed the burden of enduring Russia's political wrath.

  

The LNG mother ship is named - in English! - the Independence. As a spokesman for the Lithuanian government explained, to fully understand the importance of energy independence one must have experienced total energy dependence.

  

Lithuania does not take the Russian threat lightly. Warned by Gazprom that the energy giant is "not pleased" with this new competition, the government has deployed a contingent of special operations troops to provide round-the-clock security at the LNG terminal.

  

Which raises an interesting question: Is the US losing a strategic opportunity? All of Eastern Europe - and, to some extent, even Germany - continually face the prospect of an energy embargo by Russia. But the Department of Energy is seriously considering provisions that would limit, if not entirely block, the export of domestically produced liquid natural gas. Indeed, the Institute for 21^st Century Energy Security believes such limits might violate federal law (see the following statement, which was issued in late January):

  

http://www.energyxxi.org/could-any-limits-us-export-lng-violate-law

  

In our opinion, the United States would be making a huge mistake if it chose not to support the former Warsaw Pact nations of Eastern Europe in their efforts to ensure their energy independence while avoiding the clutches of Russia's energy politics - a mistake we have already made in the Balkans.