EU Acts on Strategic Imperative to Sever Energy Ties with Russia

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The European Council, represented by the 27 leaders of European Union nations, agreed today to phase out its reliance on Russian gas, oil and coal by 2027.

Mitchell Bernard, chief counsel with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) made the following statement:

“This is a clear commitment to sever European reliance on Russian energy, slash funding for Moscow’s war chest and speed the vital shift away from the fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has turned an environmental necessity into a strategic imperative that could not be more urgent. The European Union is acting on both.

“The United States must stand with its European allies. Just as the European Union is ending its reliance on Russian gas, oil and coal, the United States must break the fossil fuel chokehold on the U.S. economy. 

“The single most important step the United States can take is to enact the powerful clean energy and climate incentives - $550 billion over ten years - now before the Senate. That would align this country with the path of fossil fuel freedom our European allies have chosen. It would send a powerful signal to those inflicting suffering on the people of Ukraine. It would strengthen our economy, make our country more secure and lower energy costs for our families. The Senate should enact it now.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.