Maine U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, along with Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, are backing the president’s decision to place a ban on all Russian oil imports.
Sen. King, an Independent, said Tuesday that banning Russian energy is “an important step to ratchet up pressure” as the world responds to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Both President Biden and Sen. King have acknowledged the likely impact on gas prices in the U.S.
Sen. King called it a “small price to pay compared to the sacrifices Ukrainian people make every day.”
Inflation in the U.S. has already reached a 40-year peak, with much of that driven by rising fuel costs.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins joined Sen. King in calling for the president’s administration to cut off oil imports.
“We must continue working with European allies to reduce dependence on Russian energy,” Collins said Tuesday. “Rather than turning to authoritarians in the Middle East and South America, we should immediately boost U.S. energy production to lower the soaring price of gas and heating oil.”
Sens. King and Collins were among a bipartisan group of lawmakers that introduced the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act last week.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who represents the state’s 1st Congressional District, said “We must cut Russia off from its main source of cash-flow and make investments in cleaner renewable energy technologies NOW.”
