Sherrill warns New Jersey terminals not to accept Russian diesel

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(The Center Square) — New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is putting the state's independent port operators on notice they would be subject to criminal sanctions for offloading shipments of Russian diesel under President Donald Trump's new directive aimed at lowering fuel costs. 

In a letter to New Jersey energy port and terminal operators — including Kinder Morgan and Phillips 66 — Sherrill said the Trump administration's authorization of Russian fuel imports "directly conflicts" with the 2022 Russian Oil Act approved by Congress, which imposed sanctions and banned diesel imports in response to the war in Ukraine. 

Offloading those diesel shipments "would likely subject businesses and individuals to harsh penalties, both civil and criminal," Sherrill wrote in the Nov. 2 letter.

Since the Treasury Department issued an order last month authorizing shipments of Russian diesel into the U.S. to help lower domestic fuel costs, Sherrill said Russia has dispatched tankers to the United States, including at least one that may be headed for New Jersey. 

"The Russian Oil Act does not grant the President or Treasury Department blanket authority to waive these sanctions through licenses," Sherrill, a Democrat, wrote. "Rather it provides a single avenue by which its prohibitions may be lifted short of repeal: the President must certify that, among other things, Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. 

"Of course, no such certification has been made — or could be made — thus far," she added. 

The move puts Sherrill on a collision course with the Trump administration over its domestic energy policies. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin reached a deal in October to allow up to 1.8 million metric tons of Russian diesel into the U.S. to help lower domestic fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections. 

The move came as diesel prices rose above $6 per gallon, nearly 70% higher than a year earlier. Rising fuel costs have particularly impacted farmers and other industries that ultimately pass those costs on to American consumers. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright framed the Trump administration’s suspension of U.S. sanctions against Russian diesel exports as “an incentive” for Moscow to end the war in Ukraine. He said it would also help reduce fuel costs domestically.

The Russian-flagged tanker Talisman was expected to arrive on the U.S. East Coast on Nov. 9, according to MarineTraffic, a ship-tracking website. Another tanker, the Leruo, has departed Russia en route to the “Atlantic Coast” without explicitly declaring its destination as the U.S., the platform said. 

Trump has been criticized by lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle for making the deal. Several top Washington Republicans wrote to Trump blasting the Russian president as a war criminal and saying the deal is a "betrayal" of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

But Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, said Trump's deal also violates federal law and said New Jersey’s ports "shouldn’t be complicit" in Russia's military aggression in the region, which she said is also threatening U.S. forces abroad. 

“New Jersey will not stand by while Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin at the expense of Americans," Sherrill in a statement. "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." 

"Every port and terminal operator, intermediary, and buyer is on notice: do not help bring illegal Russian diesel into New Jersey," she said.