Bipartisan Bill to Ban Russian Uranium Imports Introduced
A handful of House members, led by Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., introduced legislation to ban the import of uranium from Russia, as a response to the invasion of Ukraine. The bill follows the introduction of a similar ban from the Senate earlier in March (see 2203170061).
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Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., the top Republicans on the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, said in the March 25 press release announcing the bill, “We have the time and capacity to safely produce uranium domestically, rather than buying it from Russia and funding their war on Ukraine."
Two Texas Democrats are also original co-sponsors. “Russia has proven time and again that it is not interested in heeding calls for a cease fire, or respecting Ukraine’s right to self-determination. Russia must face consequences for these decisions,” Rep. Henry Cuellar said in the press release. “The United States should ban Russian uranium imports -- and stop funding the Russian war machine. Our energy supply chain is capable of withstanding the increased demand and will be the source of additional American jobs. Now is the time to secure our national security interests and remove our dependence on Russian nuclear fuel.”
Trade groups hailed the bill in the release. “Our uranium import dependence is a case study in how our vital domestic minerals supply chains have atrophied to levels that result in a dire national security risk,” Rich Nolan, president and CEO, National Mining Association, said. “We are home to the world’s largest fleet of nuclear power plants, significant uranium reserves, and yet we import virtually all of the uranium we use -- half of which comes from Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Aggressive action must be taken to address this vulnerability and immediately reinvest in American-sourced, essential mined materials produced under world-leading environmental and labor standards."