By Charles Boothe, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Tuesday he wants the United States to end crude oil imports from Russia and begin immediately to work toward energy independence.
“If there was ever a time to be energy independent, it is now,” he said in a statement. “I am calling on the administration and industry partners to take action immediately, up to and including banning crude oil imports from Russia.”
Manchin said the “entire world is watching as Vladimir Putin uses energy as a weapon in an attempt to extort and coerce our European allies.”
“The brutal war that Vladimir Putin has inflicted on the sovereign democratic nation of Ukraine demands a fundamental rethinking of American national security and our national and international energy policy,” he said. “The United States, our European allies and the rest of the world cannot be held hostage by the acts of one man. It is simply inexplicable that we and other Western nations continue to spend billions of dollars on energy from Russia. This funding directly supports Putin’s ability to stay in power and execute a war on the people of Ukraine. We cannot decry the atrocities of Putin while simultaneously funding his war.” …
