During the United States' move to further isolate Moscow in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, four US Republican senators introduced a bill on March 17 to ban the import of Russian uranium into the country.
As of now, it is the only country with more nuclear reactors operating than the United States, and uranium is heavily imported. If passed by the Senate and House, the bill will go into effect 45 days after it is enacted.
In addition to limiting imports of oil, natural gas, and coal, Joe Biden has issued a series of sanctions against Russia. Yet he is yet to prohibit Russian uranium imports, which accounted for 16 percent of USA purchases in 2020, according to EIA. Russian President Vladimir Putin founded Rosatom, a government-owned corporation, in 2007 to control the country's uranium production.
Wyoming is the world's largest producer of uranium, with an estimated 173,000 lbs in 2019. Barrasso represents nearly all of the U.S. production.
“While banning imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal is an important step, it cannot be the last. Banning Russian uranium imports will further defund Russia’s war machine, help revive American uranium production, and increase our national security,” Barrasso said in a statement.
18 March 2022
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