The House of Representatives of the US Congress has passed a bill that proclaims establishing oil and gas cartels like OPEC anywhere in the world as unlawful. The Russian Foreign Ministry has already described this legislative initiative as unlawful in itself.

The unprecedented bill was written by a group of US lawmakers under Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers. It invalidates the actions of any foreign country which conspires with other states and organizations be they cartels or associations to try and cut down production and sale of oil, gas, and oil products, sets their prices, or takes other steps to restrict trade in oil.

If and when it is approved by the US Senate and President, the bill is supposed to make life hard for countries of the still non-existent "gas OPEC" and oil producers (OPEC). 

The bill will enable the US Administration to bring action against the foreign states undertaking to establish a cartel or any other organization in the sphere of oil and gas production.  US Attorney General will be permitted to prosecute these foreign states in US courts on American territory in accordance with
the US legislation. The Associated Press points out that appearance of the bill was fomented by unprecedented price-rises for gas and the high inflation rate. In other words, gas prices are compelling US legislators to regulate the international market of energy resources. That's certainly a curious form of reasoning.

It stands to reason to assume that the bill is directed against the idea of a "gas OPEC" involving Russia and other gas producers like Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. It may even be regarded as official Washington's reaction to the recent gas agreements reached in the course of Russian president's visits to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

On the other hand, the bill may yet be stopped. It has a lot of opponents even in the United States itself. The US Chamber of Commerce appealed to Congress to drop the bill. The statement the US Chamber of Commerce reasonably points out that the bill is not going to bring oil prices down but it does "set a dangerous precedent" of ruining the sovereign immunity concept which is the basis of "any national sovereignty."

The White House is undecided. Insiders claim that George W. Bush will be advised to veto the bill because any such step on the part of the United States will be reacted to and that may "interrupt oil import and boost gas prices."