Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC—Today, the bipartisan Ban Russian Energy Imports Act was formally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and cosponsored by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and 45 Representatives. The bill will ban the United States from importing Russian crude oil, petroleum, petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and coal. Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the companion legislation in the Senate. 

“I applaud President Biden’s actions taken thus far to support Ukraine and stabilize global markets. But despite overwhelming sanctions already imposed on Russia by the U.S. and countries around the world, President Putin continues to wage an unjust, bloody war on the people of Ukraine,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “We don’t have to choose between our democratic values and economic interests. By cutting Russia off from its main source of cashflow that’s fueling the war and making transformational investments in cleaner renewable energy technologies, we can further our commitment to the Ukrainian people and keep our long-term energy goals to mitigate the climate crisis in mind.”

“We can’t subsidize Putin’s war in Ukraine with American dollars. The Russians are killing innocent civilians, violating cease fires in refugee corridors, and escalating assaults,” said Rep. Gottheimer. “We need to hit Putin where it hurts. By banning the import of Russian oil here to the U.S., we have the opportunity to stick it to Putin, work with our allies to stabilize the energy market across the world, safeguard our nation’s energy security, and boost America’s energy independence. I’m also glad the Administration announced a global utilization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve — 60 billion barrels — to help get gas prices globally down. Existing wells are coming back online. We’ve seen that now for 18 straight weeks. Overall, the number of active rigs is up more than 60 percent since the beginning of the Administration. This should all help relieve global gas prices.”

“By continuing to import oil from Russia, the U.S. is supporting Russian energy coercion and helping Putin to bankroll his brutal and unjustified war against Ukraine,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “We must put an end to the importation of Russian energy products now. 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. I implore House and Senate leadership to swiftly bring this legislation to the floor for a vote.”

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 addition to Pingree, original cosponsors include: Ed Case, Peter Meijer, Jared Golden, David McKinley, Chrissy Houlahan, Jimmy Panetta, Tom Reed, Steven Horsford, David Valadao, Tom Suozzi, Steve Cohen, Chris Pappas, Jim Costa, Mike Thompson, Derek Kilmer, Dean Phillips, Vicente González, Darren Soto, Tom Malinowski, Abigail Spanberger, Brad Schneider, Elaine Luria, Kathy Manning, Dan Meuser, Carolyn Bourdeaux, Scott Peters, Debbie Dingell, Sean Casten, Conor Lamb, Dan Newhouse, Michael Burgess, Kaiali'i Kahele, Susie Lee, Jeff Van Drew, Kurt Schrader, Mario Diaz-Balart, Joseph Morelle, John Katko, Vern Buchanan, Susan Wild, Brad Sherman, J. Luis Correa, Andy Kim, Elissa Slotkin, and Haley Stevens.

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