American imports of Russian oil hit new all-time high

American imports of Russian crude oil and petroleum products hit an all-time high in May of 2021, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Russian imports have risen this year in part due to falling oil production in the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of Hurricane Ida, but they have also fallen due to Biden administration policies that have sought to restrict domestic production.

Buying oil from Russia, especially after an event like a hurricane, isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it provides the oil that people rely upon for their daily lives when it would otherwise be scarcer and more expensive.

However, it is a bad idea to promote policies that harm American energy producers and make us more dependent upon Russian oil in the long run. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the Biden administration has done by obstructing pipeline projects and attempting to halt drilling permits on federal lands.

It is deeply ironic that the same people who have spent the last four years portraying Vladimir Putin as a James Bond supervillain are advocating for energy policies that put our country completely at his mercy.