Murkowski joins bipartisan call for Trump to reverse decision allowing Russian diesel imports

Sen. Lisa Murkowski and six other senators on Sunday called on the Trump administration to reverse the president's decision to allow Russian diesel into the United States, saying it "runs directly counter" to a 2022 law banning Russian energy imports.

"The United States should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline while Russia continues to kill Ukrainian civilians," Murkowski, Republican Sens. Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and John Curtis, and Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Wyden said in a joint statement. "The Administration must immediately reverse course." They said the administration also "failed to consult with Congress or submit any explanation to justify its decision as required by statute."

Trump announced Friday that after a discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia had agreed to "immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace," another 500,000 tons in November and more after that. Diesel prices, he wrote, "will be COMING DOWN, IN RECORD NUMBERS, AND FAST!"

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a license the same day. It allows the sale, delivery, offloading and importation of Russian diesel, "including importation into the United States," through April 7, 2027. Licenses earlier this year were narrower. From March to mid-June, Treasury let cargoes of Russian oil that were already loaded be delivered and sold. None of those licenses mentioned importation into the United States.

On Monday, Trump wrote that the European Union "paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy" and that "I made the right choice for the American People."

In Alaska, heating fuel averaged $7.97 a gallon this summer in the 90 unsubsidized communities that reported to a state survey, up 22.8 percent from $6.49 last winter. Western Alaska averaged $9 a gallon. Arctic Village reported $17 a gallon, and Hughes and Kokhanok each reported $15.

The state Division of Community and Regional Affairs said the suspected cause is that "global events have restricted retail fuel inventories in unexpected ways." One vendor said its summer fuel was coming from the Gulf Coast rather than Southeast Asia, and the division said shipping through the Panama Canal instead of across the Pacific added miles and cost to some shipments. Because many western deliveries were delayed, the full increase there may not show until the Winter 2027 survey, the division said.

No record shows whether any of the Russian diesel will enter the United States or Alaska, or whether it would affect prices here.

The Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act passed the Senate 100-0 in April 2022. A month earlier, Murkowski and then-Sen. Joe Manchin had introduced a similar bill, and Sen. Dan Sullivan was among its cosponsors.

The law lets a president lift the ban only after certifying to Congress that Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces and stop fighting on terms Ukraine accepts, poses no immediate military threat to NATO members and recognizes Ukrainians' right to choose their own government. The president must consult four congressional committees and explain the decision to them at least 45 days before certifying.

The law also says the ban applies "in a manner consistent with any implementation actions issued under Executive Order 14066," the 2022 order that first barred Russian energy imports. Treasury's notice does not say whether it relies on that language.

Sullivan was not among the signers of Sunday's statement, and his office had not issued a press release on the license as of Monday. On Sept. 22, he called for a temporary moratorium on U.S. diesel exports until the Iran conflict ends and energy moves freely through the Strait of Hormuz, "so that we can rebuild our reserves ahead of winter."

The senators' statement did not say what steps, if any, they would take next.