Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., joined other colleagues in introducing a bipartisan bill on Thursday to end any oil imports from Russia coming into the United States.
The Ban Russian Energy Imports Act would prohibit the importation of Russian crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal.
But even with the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the White House once again on Thursday stuck to its guns on not imposing the ban right now.
“Our objective and the president’s objective has been to maximize impact on President Putin and Russia while minimizing impact to us and our allies and partners,” press secretary Jen Psaki said during a TV briefing, adding that less oil means higher prices.
But Manchin said Wednesday the bill would declare a national emergency and give the President the authority to ban Russian oil imports, and if he doesn’t, Congress can.
“We will take the necessary action if he does not,” Manchin said. “This is the way we can do it.”
“The entire world is on edge as Vladimir Putin terrorizes the sovereign democratic nation of Ukraine. The U.S. cannot continue to purchase more than half a million barrels of oil per day because in doing so, we are emboldening Putin to continue using his greatest weapon of war – energy exports,” Manchin said Thursday when the bill was introduced. “The Ban Russian Energy Imports Act would declare a national emergency with respect to Russian aggression and immediately prohibit the importation of Russian energy products. Importantly, this bipartisan bill shows our strong commitment to stand behind the valiant efforts of the Ukrainian people and the measures our allies in Europe are taking to rebuke Putin and his continued aggression. I urge Leader (Chuck) Schumer to quickly bring this bipartisan bill to the floor and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it.”
Capito agreed and also chastised Biden for stifling energy production in the United States.
“The United States should not be subsidizing Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine by purchasing and importing Russian oil, petroleum, natural gas, and coal,” Capito said in a statement. “The Ban Russian Energy Imports Act is a commonsense measure, has bipartisan support here in Congress, and would hit the Kremlin where it hurts. If President Biden had not waged war on American energy production from day one of his presidency, he would have already imposed a similar ban on Russian energy. I urge the administration to support this legislation, and in the meantime, take steps to undo their misguided policies that are strangling American energy producers here at home, which will also allow us to better assist our allies as they move away from Russian energy sources.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who is Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, also joined the legislation.
“Since Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration has pulled together an impressive international coalition to impose swift and severe sanctions on Russia.,” Warner said. “While these measures have already put intense pressure on Russia’s economy, it’s clear more must be done to punish Putin for the tragedies occurring in Ukraine. As Putin continues his vicious assault on the citizens of Ukraine, we should not continue to support Russia’s energy economy by importing these commodities. That’s why I’m proud to support this legislation that would strike at the heart of the Russian economy by banning the importation of Russian oil, natural gas, and coal into the United States.”
The bill directs the President to prohibit the imports.
According to the bill, in 2021, “the United States imported an average of 670,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products, with a high of 848,000 barrels per day in June 2021, with imports up 24% in 2021 over 2020. The U.S. has also imported Russian LNG and coal despite having some of the largest reserves domestically. This import strategy puts American national security at risk and supports Vladimir Putin’s ability to stay in power.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the co-sponsor along with Manchin.
“The world is watching in shock as Russia wages an unprovoked war on Ukraine, killing innocents as it attempts to destroy a fragile democracy,” she said. “While the Biden administration has taken noteworthy steps to try to convince Vladimir Putin and his regime to stand down, we need an all-encompassing approach that uses every viable tool at our disposal. By leaving Russia’s energy exports untouched, the United States is ignoring one of our most potent options to stop the bloodshed. We must ban Russia’s energy imports into the U.S. so that Americans aren’t forced to help finance their growing atrocities and halt the Russian aggression. I’m proud to sponsor this bill with Senator Manchin and urge the Senate to pass it immediately.”
The ban would be in place during the national emergency and either the President or Congress would be able to terminate the emergency and the import ban.
The bill exempts product that is already loaded or in transit at the time of enactment.