U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on March 3 led a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers in introducing the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act.
“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,” Sen. Murkowski said. “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.”
If enacted, S. 3757 would prohibit the importation of crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas, and coal from the Russian Federation, according to the text of the bill, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
Sen. Murkowski signed on as the lead original cosponsor of 16 other original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Rob Portman (R-OH). U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) plan to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The bill would declare a national emergency regarding the threat to U.S. national security, and only the president or Congress would be able to terminate the emergency and the import ban, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Murkowski’s staff.
The bill would exempt product that is already loaded or in transit at the time of enactment, the summary says.
Such an import ban would cut off a key source of cash flow for Putin, said Sen. Collins. “The crisis in Ukraine has also underscored the need for the U.S. and Europe to increase our energy independence in order to strengthen our national security and deter ruthless autocrats who are on the march around the globe,” she said.
“President Biden and the United States need to unleash American energy production and stop funding Putin’s ruthless war chest,” Sen. Daines added.
Sen. Capito called S. 3757 “a commonsense measure” that “would hit the Kremlin where it hurts.” She urged the Biden administration to support the legislation, and to “take steps to undo their misguided policies that are strangling American energy producers here at home.”
“Putin’s invasion of Ukraine requires an extraordinary response that includes going after the energy revenues he uses to fund his war machine,” agreed Sen. Cassidy. “This policy can and needs to be partnered with increasing our domestic production to improve our energy independence and shelter Americans from rising costs.”
Sen. Portman said America “must do all we can to bankrupt President Putin’s economy and his war machine in order to defeat Russia’s assault on Ukraine.”
“The United States should immediately stop buying Russian oil and increase domestic energy production here at home,” he said.
Added Rep. Fitzpatrick: “Our bipartisan Ban Russian Energy Imports Act will send Putin and his cronies a clear message: the U.S. will secure our own energy independence, and we will not partake in Russia’s energy manipulation tactics.”