On Tuesday, Republican and Democrat legislators proposed new legislation that would ban the import of Russian oil. The legislation was not, however, united. Two bills were drafted in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the continued bombing of the country’s biggest cities. However, both bills pose a huge problem for the United States – namely that the U.S. relies on Russian oil imports in an era of domestic anti-oil policies implemented by President Joe Biden.
What’s In the Legislation?
Nine Republican Senators led by Kansas Senator Roger Marshall agreed with progressive Democratic Senator Ed Market agreed that the United States should stop the importation of Russian oil. While the two sides agree on the policy, however, they disagree on how to make up for the resulting shortage of oil.
Republicans argue that the United States should reverse President Joe Biden’s block on further federal land leases for oil drilling, while Senator Market proposed a radical push for more renewable energy sources to replace it.
Under Senator Markey’s legislation, the United States would form a new strategy to prioritize the use of clean energy over Russian oil.
“Our global addiction to oil keeps us locked into dangerous cycles of conflict and corruption, but we can choose a cleaner path to peace. By eliminating our addiction to Russian oil, we can build a pathway to a more prosperous and peaceful future, free from reliance on dirty oil and natural gas,” Markey said.
Will It Happen?
With the national average price for a gallon of regular gas reaching $3.61 on Monday, the Biden administration may struggle to endorse any such legislation – even with the inclusion of proposed measures to identify all entities involved in the importation of Russian oil and their potential likes to Vladimir Putin. It also seems particularly unlikely given that U.S. reliance on Russian oil hit a record high in 2021, and continues to play a huge part in America’s energy infrastructure.
Republicans proposed that in place of Russian oil, President Joe Biden should “restart America’s energy production and quit financing Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine by continuing to purchase crude oil from Russia.”
Even if President Biden were to stop purchasing oil from Russia, however, the country still supplies around half of its 11 million daily barrels of oil to Europe. China is also a major buyer of Russian oil and has no reason to cease importing millions of barrels daily via the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean pipeline.
Russia’s economy would certainly be impacted if the legislation were to pass, but without an immediate alternative to Russian oil – which would require an immediate increase in domestic production – it can’t and won’t happen.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and report on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
