U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Lisa Murkowski, senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, which would prohibit the importation of Russian crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal. Companion legislation will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2021, the United States imported an average of 670,000 barrels of oil and petroleum products, with a high of nearly 850,000 barrels per day in June 2021, with imports up 24% in 2021 from the year prior. The United States also has imported Russian LNG and coal despite having some of the largest reserves domestically. The office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski says that this import strategy puts American national security at risk and supports Vladimir Putin’s ability to stay in power.
The Ban Russian Energy Imports Act would declare a national emergency specifically with respect to the threat of our national security, foreign policy, and economy that exists because of Russian aggression against Ukraine and directs the President to prohibit imports of crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, LNG, and coal from Russia. 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. Additionally, the bill exempts product that already is loaded or in transit at the time of enactment.
To learn more about the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, click here. To read the full text of the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, click here.