US bans Russian uranium imports, seeks energy independence
3 Min Read
Republican Senator John Barrasso and others introduced a new bipartisan bill to ban Russian uranium import.
-
US Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 11, 2022 (Reuters).
A bipartisan legislation to ban imports of Russian uranium was introduced on March 9 by US Senators John Barrasso, Joe Manchin, Jim Risch, Martin Heinrich, Cynthia Lummis, Chris Coons, and Roger Marshall.
According to Barasso, a Ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), under the pretense that "Every dollar we give to Russia supports Putin’s brutal war on Ukraine," argued the need to ban the import of Russian uranium and focus on local energy resources.
A newly published report by Reuters highlights the #US dependence on #Russian uranium, citing lobbying efforts to exempt Russian uranium from #Washington's sanctions.#Russia pic.twitter.com/fbO3nHlt5e
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 2, 2022
Barrasso said the local nuclear industry "is ready to transition away from Russian uranium" by focusing on local resources, such as those available in Wyoming, to boost production.
The ultimate goal, according to the official statement by the Senate & House Committee Leaders Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Ban Russian Uranium Imports, is to "permanently remove all Russian energy, including uranium, from the American marketplace," allegedly defunding the Russian "war machine" in the long run.
Alternative for energy supply should be domestic, not Russian
During an interview with the Washington Examiner in August 2022, the then Assistant Minister of Energy Kathryn Huff stated that the United States would not replace Russian uranium with resources from any other country.
In this regard, Huff, a nuclear engineering PhD, and former university professor noted that Washington must find a way to enrich uranium independently and make it usable. According to the expert, due to dependence on domestic resources, the United States risks facing problems in the field of energy security, adding that “[Russia] is no longer a trustworthy source of our fuel, and we need to find alternatives here and build up that supply chain."
According to media reports, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan supply the United States with half of all uranium used in the country. At the same time, there is an agreement between the Kremlin and the White House, according to which 20% of exports go to Moscow.
Earlier, it became known that Canada is preparing to transfer five turbines to Germany for the Nord Stream gas pipeline. According to Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, the authorities decided to take this step at the request of Berlin.
Germany is already facing crucial consequences for a tough winter ahead amid the gas crisis, and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg affirms it is true for Europe as well. “Worldwide, there’s not enough capacity to replace that gap from trusted sources,” Huff said.
“So, it's our responsibility to encourage and incentivize that enrichment and conversion capability here in the US so that we can return to a time when we have a more fulsome capability,” she added.
Read more: China urges US to make political decision regarding nuclear deal ASAP
