New Jersey's governor warns ports against accepting Russian diesel
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is warning local port officials and terminal operators against accepting imported Russian diesel, saying that the shipments would break federal law.
In a Nov. 2 letter, Sherrill said that Congress in April 2022 banned energy imports from Russia in response to the country's attack on Ukraine two months earlier. Importing Russian diesel would violate the ban and could lead to civil and criminal charges, she said, pledging to use legal and regulatory measures to ensure that New Jersey's ports and facilities are not used to receive Russian diesel.
In a Truth Social post in October, President Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to release millions of tons of diesel over the following three months for use in both the U.S. and global markets. The Treasury Department also announced on Oct. 9 that it would issue a temporary general license "to allow the supply of Russian diesel to the global market."
Sherrill, a Democrat, said in the letter that Mr. Trump and Treasury officials do not have blanket authority to waive congressional sanctions on Russia.
"New Jersey will not stand by while Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin at the expense of Americans. Instead of lowering costs, he is helping finance Putin's war against Ukraine and a global campaign of violence and terror that endangers U.S. service members abroad," Sherrill said in a statement. "As a Navy veteran, I cannot let that stand unchallenged, and New Jersey's ports shouldn't be complicit."
Russia has sent multiple oil tankers carrying diesel to the U.S., including at least one that may be headed for New Jersey, she added.
"Any effort to profit from the illegal trade in Russian fuel will be met with harsh penalties. I urge you to turn away any tanker that seeks to use your facilities in furtherance of such unlawful activity," Sherrill said in the letter, which is directed to port and terminal operators in the state.
A Trump administration official told CBS News that granting the general license allowing Russian diesel to supply global markets complies with all applicable U.S. laws.
"The President secured a deal to supply global markets with diesel, lowering prices for the United States and the world," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to CBS News. "Lowering prices for America's great farmers, truckers and families remains a top priority as the President simultaneously urges both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict to stop strikes against refineries that are driving up costs and hurting American consumers. No one has done more than President Trump to bring this brutal war — a war that never would have started if he were President — to an end."
U.S. diesel costs have soared as the ongoing war in Iran and Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries drive up oil prices. As of Tuesday, the national average price for a gallon of diesel was $6.29, according to AAA. Although that is down from a record high of $6.53 in September, prices remain sharply higher than a year ago, when diesel averaged $3.68 a gallon.
