Korchagina oil field in Russia. Credt: Pavel Gurenchuk/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 3.0US Senators introduced a bill that would ban Russian oil and energy imports on Thursday. The “Banning Russian Energy Imports Act” already has widespread support, says senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, who said that the legislation was just drawn up yesterday.
Manchin, who is chairman of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, along with Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Democrat senator Jon Tester from Montana, and other members of the House, introduced the bill during a news conference on Thursday.
The bill, if passed, would ban Russian petroleum and petroleum products such as crude oil and coal. Manchin stated during the press conference that the bill showed “the united support we have for Ukraine.”
Bipartisan support for bill to ban Russian oil imports
Although politicians across the aisle have called for a ban on energy imports since Russia invaded Ukraine last week, the Biden administration has moved to restrict oil imports from the country, as it could lead to a drastic spike in prices.
However, when asked explicitly about banning Russian oil, President Biden was open to the idea, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
