Pressure Grows on Biden to Ban Russian Oil Imports in US

A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Thursday to ban U.S. imports of Russian oil, saying the shipments could be replaced by boosting output in North America and other places.

The bill would have to pass the Senate and House and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law, but the White House has indicated reluctance to support moves that could increase the price of gasoline at a time when inflation is already high.

The bill, Banning Russian Energy Imports Act, is intended to punish Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine and is sponsored by 18 senators in the 100-member chamber, including Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a moderate, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. Similar legislation has been offered by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., a more liberal lawmaker.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., also said she supports a ban.

"I'm all for that," she told reporters. "Ban the oil coming from Russia."

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether Biden, a Democrat, would sign the bill.

"I don't believe this country should be importing anything from Russia," Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is from an oil-producing state and supports the Manchin-Murkowski bill, told reporters. "It will send even a bigger message that the United States is in this with Ukrainians for the long haul."

It was unclear if the bill will win the 60 votes in the Senate that are likely necessary for it to pass, but the fact several Democrats are co-sponsoring it increases its chances.

The United States imported more than 20.4 million barrels of crude and refined products a month on average in 2021 from Russia, about 8% of U.S. liquid fuel imports, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Par Pacific Holdings became the first U.S. refiner Thursday to suspend purchases of Russian oil for its Hawaii-based refinery. Russia accounted for nearly 28% of Hawaii's crude imports last year, according to the EIA.

Russia is the second-largest exporter of crude oil, shipping out 4 to 5 million barrels of crude every day, trailing only Saudi Arabia. A series of sanctions imposed by the West, while exempting Russian oil and gas, have nonetheless disrupted global oil trade, as buyers shun Russian barrels and search for supply elsewhere.

'Pad Putin's Pockets'

Russia produces about 10% of the world's crude and, while it has imposed a series of sanctions on Russia since the conflict in Ukraine has escalated, the Biden administration has so far been careful to not take actions that could send oil prices higher.

"We don't have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy ... that would raise prices at the gas pump for the American people," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

Psaki said a ban on U.S. imports of crude from Russia could further increase oil prices, which hit decade-long highs this week. Retail gasoline prices have been steadily rising in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer; the average per-gallon price for regular gasoline was $3.73 on Thursday, according to the American Automobile Association.

"It also has the potential to pad the pockets of President Putin which is exactly what we are not trying to do," Psaki said.

Russia's economy is heavily dependent on oil and gas and many of its energy companies are state-owned.

Still, Biden has said everything is on the table in terms of punishing Russia.

Backers of the bill said it would only affect Russian oil exports to the United States and U.S., Canadian and other supplies from allies could replace the Russian barrels without boosting prices.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has not backed the Manchin-Murkowksi bill, said "this is not the moment" for Congress to be setting a different direction from the Biden administration.

Murphy did seem to support the idea in theory of limiting Russian oil imports, however.

"It still feels like the right thing to do," he told reporters, adding any move in that direction should be done in coordination with Europe.

White House Deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh said Wednesday the Biden administration was looking at reducing U.S. consumption of Russian oil while maintaining the global supply of energy.

"There are other producers in the world that could backfill for any Russian oil we don't import," Singh said on CNN.

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