US House Approves Bill Banning Uranium Imports From Russia

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) speaks at a House Republican news conference on energy policy at the U.S. Capitol on March 08, 2022 in Washington. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill on Monday that bans the import of enriched uranium produced by Russia as part of an effort to pressure Moscow to cease its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The bill, passed by voice vote in the House after the chamber suspended usual voting rules on the measure, would ban the imports 90 days after enactment, subject to the waivers.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers said it would strengthen the country’s energy and national security by prohibiting imports of Russian uranium for nuclear power plants.

“One of the most urgent security threats America faces right now is our dangerous reliance on Russia’s supply of nuclear fuels for our nuclear fleet,” Ms. Rodgers, a Republican, said on the House floor.

“This threat has intensified as a result of the war in Ukraine,” she added.

The United States banned imports of Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine last year and imposed a price cap with other Western countries on sea-borne exports of its crude and oil products, but it has not banned imports of its uranium.

The United States heavily depends on imported uranium and has more nuclear reactors than any other country, with 93 in operation.

U.S. nuclear power plants last year imported about 27 percent of their uranium from Canada, 25 percent from Kazakhstan, and 12 percent from Russia, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Ms. Rodgers has warned about the risks of continuing this dependence on Russia for nuclear fuels.

“It’s weakening America’s nuclear fuel infrastructure, which has declined significantly because of reliance on these cheap fuels,” she remarked.

Established by Putin

Russia’s uranium production is controlled by Rosatom, a state-owned nuclear energy company formed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007.

Ms. Rodgers said in her speech that Rosatom and its fuel subsidiaries received over $800 million from the U.S. nuclear power industry last year alone.

“That number could be even higher this year, and these resources are no doubt going towards funding Putin’s war efforts in Ukraine,” Ms. Rodgers said.

“Further, we’ve seen how Putin has weaponized Europe’s reliance on Russian natural gas. There’s no reason to believe Russia wouldn’t do the same with our nuclear fuel supply, if Putin saw an opportunity,” she added.

Sen. John Barrasso (R- Wyo.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Oct. 4, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) applauded the House for passing a bipartisan companion bill to Ms. Rodgers’s proposal in the upper chamber to ban imports of Russian uranium.

“The United States must ban the sale of Russian uranium in America,” said Mr. Barrasso, a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Mr. Barrasso represents the state of Wyoming, which leads in uranium production, having produced an estimated 173,000 pounds in 2019 and accounting for nearly all U.S. production.

“It is estimated that the U.S. spends roughly $1 billion per year on nuclear fuel from Russia. The legislation that Chair Rodgers and I have sponsored will end our dependence on Russian nuclear fuel,” he said.

“The Senate should immediately send it to the president,” he added. The bill must pass the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden before becoming law.

Reuters and Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.