“Support for a European Union-wide ban on the purchase of Russian oil is growing inside the bloc, according to diplomats involved in the discussion, representing a significant shift in the continent’s stance toward how to ratchet up economic pressure on Moscow,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Agreement on any EU ban of Russian crude is far from locked in yet, and a rapid decision to move ahead isn’t likely.”
“Germany said it had sealed a long-term agreement with Qatar for the supply of liquefied natural gas as Berlin seeks alternative energy suppliers to Russia,” the Financial Times reports.
“Republicans are intensifying efforts to use high fuel prices to their advantage ahead of November’s midterm elections, as the Republican National Committee held three voter-registration drives outside of three gas stations in Arizona over the weekend,” Vanity Fair reports.
“The events are part of a broader voter-registration initiative that the RNC will run across the country in the coming weeks as gas prices hit record highs.”
“The White House considered giving Americans gas cards to help offset high prices, but faced strong opposition from congressional committees, which questioned the plan’s viability and effectiveness,” Axios reports.
“Faced with rising gasoline prices, many Americans are now looking to switch to an electric car,” The Guardian reports.
“But the shift away from fossil fuel vehicles has been criticized by Senator Joe Manchin, who has said he is ‘very reluctant’ to see the proliferation of battery-powered cars.”
Said Manchin: “I’m old enough to remember standing in line in 1974 trying to buy gas – I remember those days. I don’t want to have to be standing in line waiting for a battery for my vehicle, because we’re now dependent on a foreign supply chain, mostly China.”
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball notes “there appears to be some connection between higher gas prices and lower presidential approval, but the connection is not that strong, and it has become weaker in recent years.”
“Lawmakers in both parties are warning the Biden administration not to consider any deal for Venezuelan oil — days after officials secured the release of two prisoners after a trip to the country,” Politico reports.
Sara Goddard sees Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a wake up call for clean energy — but most interesting is the lawmaker she identifies as the top beneficiary of Big Oil money this year.
Six Democratic governors have asked congressional leaders to suspend the federal gas tax as fuel prices spike to unprecedented highs in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The Hill reports.
Ukraine’s state-run nuclear company said that radioactive substances “could be released from Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear power plant because it cannot cool spent nuclear fuel after its power connection was severed,” Bloomberg reports.
“It said fighting made it impossible to immediately repair the high-voltage power line to the plant, which was captured by Russian forces after the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.”
“Flawed design and poor communication — including an operator’s decision to flip a switch marked ‘Do Not Operate’ — were the main causes of an island-wide power outage in Taiwan last week,” Bloomberg reports.
“The good news is we now have a very specific reason for rising gas prices and a specific villain. Before, it was kind of ambiguous: What’s going on? Why are gas prices going up?”
— Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, quoted by the Washington Post.
“The European Union presented a plan Tuesday to cut Russian gas imports by two thirds this year, steeply reducing — but not severing — energy ties to Moscow,” the Washington Post reports.
“The proposal, to be discussed by leaders at a summit in Paris later this week, is a dramatic shift for a bloc that remains heavily reliant on relatively cheap and abundant Russian energy. But it falls short of the full-scale boycott that some have called for in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“President Biden is expected on Tuesday morning to ban the importation of Russian oil into the United States, making the move after pressure from lawmakers in both parties to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: “The move represents one of America’s most far-reaching actions to penalize Moscow since the beginning of the war.”
“The United States has already deployed a number of economic measures to hurt Russia, including imposing sanctions on its central bank and oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the White House up to now had sought to protect global energy markets from the impact of banning Russian oil and gas, and while keeping a wary eye on soaring gas prices in the United States.”
Catherine Rampell: “Republicans are setting a trap for President Biden. They’re demanding he take actions that will raise gasoline prices — with obvious plans to attack him politically after the prices rise.”
“Moscow has stoked fears of an energy war by threatening to close a major gas pipeline to Germany after the US pushed its European allies to consider banning Russian oil imports over its invasion of Ukraine,” The Guardian reports.
“Energy giant Shell said Tuesday that it will stop buying Russian oil and natural gas and shut down its service stations, aviation fuels and other operations in the country amid international pressure for companies to sever ties over the invasion of Ukraine,” the AP reports.
The national average price of gasoline in the U.S. today hit an all-time high of $4.104 per gallon, according to Gas Buddy.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →