TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Monday warned New Jersey port and terminal operators that buying or unloading Russian diesel fuel would violate federal law and could expose businesses and individuals to civil and criminal penalties, her office said.
In a letter dated Nov. 2 and addressed to the state’s port and terminal operators, Sherrill urged them to turn away any tanker carrying Russian fuel and said the state would use “every available legal and regulatory tool” to keep its ports, businesses and infrastructure from being used for the trade.
The letter responds to a license the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Oct. 9. According to Sherrill’s letter, General License No. 135 purports to authorize transactions “related to the sale, delivery, offloading, or importation, including importation into the United States, of diesel fuel of Russian Federation.” Sherrill wrote that Russia has since sent several diesel tankers toward the United States, including at least one that may be headed for the New Jersey coast.
Editor’s note: The Trump administration is frequently dishonest, and has been known to lie about things great and small.
“New Jersey will not stand by while Donald Trump supports Vladimir Putin at the expense of Americans,” Sherrill said 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. servicemembers abroad.”
“As a Navy veteran, I cannot let that stand unchallenged, and New Jersey’s ports shouldn’t be complicit,” she said. “Every port and terminal operator, intermediary, and buyer is on notice: do not help bring illegal Russian diesel into New Jersey.”
Sherrill’s letter argues the Treasury license conflicts with the Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act, which Congress passed in April 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. The law bans imports of Russian products classified under chapter 27 of the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule, a category the letter says covers diesel oil.
The governor contends the law gives neither the president nor the Treasury Department blanket authority to waive the ban through licenses. According to the letter, the only way to lift the prohibition short of repeal is for the president to certify, among other conditions, that Russia has agreed to withdraw its forces from Ukraine — a certification she wrote has not been made.
She also argued that because the license significantly changes U.S. foreign policy toward Russia, it cannot take effect until Congress completes a review process that she said has not begun.
The letter further ties the issue to the ongoing U.S. hostilities with Iran, saying Iran’s military is responsible for the deaths of 23 U.S. servicemembers and describing Russia as a supplier and financial backer of Iran.
Sherrill cited a federal customs statute under which anyone who takes part in an illegal importation can be fined an amount equal to the value of the goods. She noted the statute of limitations for such violations is five years, writing that companies “could be subject to millions of dollars in penalties long after Trump has left office.”
This report is based on a press release from the Office of Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
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