Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law legislation led by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) that prohibits imports into the United States of Russian-produced uranium, establishing what she says is a necessary prerequisite to unlocking the private capital needed to build a domestic nuclear fuel supply.
“It is time for America to end it’s over reliance on Russia’s uranium supply, which has stunted our domestic nuclear fuel infrastructure and poses a risk to our energy and national security,” Rep. McMorris Rodgers said, adding that the bill “will ban fuel imports from Russia and help restore American nuclear leadership and fuel security for decades to come.”
The congresswoman on Feb. 14, 2023 sponsored the Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, H.R. 1042, alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH). The bill bans unirradiated low-enriched uranium (i.e., uranium that has not been in a reactor) that is produced in Russia or by a Russian entity from being imported into the U.S.
The newly signed law also prohibits the importation of unirradiated low-enriched uranium that has been swapped for the banned uranium or otherwise obtained in a manner designed to circumvent the ban’s restrictions, according to the congressional record summary.
However, the U.S. Department of Energy may waive the ban if the department determines that no alternative viable source of low-enriched uranium is available to sustain the continued operation of a nuclear reactor or a U.S. nuclear energy company, or that imports of the uranium are in the national interest, the summary says.
The U.S. House of Representatives in December 2023 passed H.R. 1042 and advanced it to the U.S. Senate, which on April 30 approved the measure by unanimous consent before presenting it to Biden for his signature to make it law.