WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) joined Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and a bipartisan group of their colleagues in introducing the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, which would prohibit the importation of Russian crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal.

“The United States should not be subsidizing Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine by purchasing and importing Russian oil, petroleum, natural gas, and coal,” Senator Capito said. “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.”

The Ban Russian Energy Imports Act would:

  • Declare a national emergency specifically with respect to the threat to our national security, foreign policy, and economy that exists as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine and directs the president to prohibit imports of crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, LNG, and coal from Russia.

  • The president has had the authority to take these actions since 1917; this legislation does not grant additional authority. This approach is modeled on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.  

  • 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. 

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. 

The full text of the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act can be found here.

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