As States Rush to Ban Vodka, America Buys 200K Barrels of Russian Oil a Day

While a handful of U.S. states have already taken steps to ban sales of Russian vodka from market shelves following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last week, some federal lawmakers are now similarly calling for the U.S. to halt imports of Russian oil, another of the Eastern European country's valuable commodities.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24 raised concerns around the world about the potential for disruptions to oil production and distribution, which in turn led to price increases at gas pumps across the U.S. National average prices for a single gallon of regular unleaded gas increased by nearly 9 cents over the last week, and some experts have suggested the national average could reach $4 per gallon by April or May if the overseas military conflict continues.

Russia, one of the world's largest producers of oil, contributed an estimated 11 percent of the total oil produced around the globe in 2020. Russia is one of the top sources from which the U.S. receives imported oil, with an estimated 7 percent of petroleum products in the U.S. coming from Russia in 2020, according to data compiled by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

U.S. oil imports from Russia have fluctuated over time, with EIA data showing some years during the mid 1990s when 800,000 barrels or fewer were imported from Russia in a single year. Import volumes have increased over time, with an estimated 245,194,000 total barrels imported from Russia last year. A Newsweek analysis of EIA data found the U.S. imported a daily average just shy of 200,000—about 198,000—barrels of crude oil from Russia last year.

EIA data shows U.S. imports of Russian oil through December 2021. A spokesperson for the EIA told Newsweek the agency does not have estimates for how much oil the U.S. is expected to import from Russia in March.

In response to spiking gas prices, the International Energy Agency (IEA) on Tuesday announced that its 31 member countries plan to release 60 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves, with half of those coming from the U.S. The IEA said it planned to share recommendations in the days ahead for countries that are more dependent on Russian oil. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the U.S. would similarly "continue our efforts to accelerate diversification of energy supplies away from Russia and to secure the world from Moscow's weaponization of oil and gas."

On Tuesday, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts went a step further by saying he intends to introduce legislation aimed at blocking the U.S. from importing Russian oil entirely.

"We cannot stop Putin with Russia's gas in our cars," Markey said in a statement released by his office on Tuesday. "Our global addiction to oil keeps us locked into dangerous cycles of conflict and corruption, but we can choose a cleaner path to peace. By eliminating our addiction to Russian oil, we can build a pathway to a more prosperous and peaceful future, free from reliance on dirty oil and natural gas."