Johnston

John Bennett Johnston Jr., a moderate-to-conservative Democrat who served four terms in the U.S. Senate (1972–1997) and often advocated for the energy and infrastructure interests of his home state of Louisiana, passed away on March 25 at the age of 92. Johnston was a strong supporter of Louisiana’s oil and natural gas sectors and nuclear energy expansion.

Johnston was born on June 10, 1932, in Shreveport, La. He left Shreveport to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and then Washington and Lee University in Virginia. He earned his juris doctorate in 1956 from Louisiana State University. From 1956 to 1959, he served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps.

Sens. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) and Martin Heinrich (D., N.M.) on September 24 introduced S. 4694, the Russian Suspension Agreement Extension Act of 2020, designed to extend and expand limits on Russian uranium imports. The legislation—cosponsored by Sens. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R., N.D.), Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska), and Jim Risch (R., Idaho)—has been referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.