Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the following statement regarding the American ban on the import of Russian oil and gas:
“This is Putin’s gas price increase. I was just at Normandy; the Greatest Generation gave a lot the last time a dictator started a land war in Europe. This is going to be hard, but the stakes are high once again. We have to cut off Russia’s fossil fuel lifeline to stop Putin before his brutal invasion of Ukraine spirals.
“While we sever economic ties with Russia, we need to do everything in our power to limit the fallout for American consumers who are already getting squeezed. The fossil fuel industry should not be allowed to take advantage of a crisis by artificially hiking prices and collecting a massive windfall. I will have more to say about that in the days ahead, but it is clear we have to get off the fossil fuel merry-go-round controlled by a corrupt cartel. There can be no ‘energy independence’ as long as we power our economy with commodities whose prices are determined by global events beyond our control. Flowing water, wind, and sunshine are all free fuel sources. Switching to renewables over the longer term will lower energy costs, insulate consumers from price spikes, and protect our national security.”
Meaghan McCabe, (401) 453-5294
