Thursday, July 2, 2015
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), advancing efforts to lift the current ban on most U.S. crude oil exports, has released a report making the case that sanctions on Iranian oil should not be lifted without also lifting the ban on U.S. crude exports. The report, “Cross-Currents: Iranian Oil and the U.S. Export Ban,” challenges Obama administration statements to support her argument.
“We are letting Iran export its oil to markets that we prevent our own companies from accessing,” Murkowski said. “Any deal that lifts sanctions on Iranian oil will disadvantage American companies unless we lift the antiquated ban on our own oil exports. The impending deal with Iran is at the center of the nexus between national security and energy policy.”
The release of Murkowski’s report follows another Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee report released in early June, “Rendering Vital Assistance: Allowing Oil Shipments to U.S. Allies,” which laid out the regulatory basis for other nations to request exemptions from U.S. oil export restrictions.
Earlier this year, Murkowski and U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) introduced S. 1312, the Energy Supply and Distribution Act. A key provision in the legislation is authorizing exports of U.S.-produced crude oil and condensate without a federal license, on the same basis as exports of petroleum products are currently authorized. The bill also directs the secretary of energy to improve the understanding of “energy security” across the federal government, drawing also from the president’s national security strategy. Other provisions call for authorization of efforts on shared infrastructure analysis and training related to cross-border energy projects; authorize the Energy Information Administration to share data with Mexico and Canada on cross-border energy flows; direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to create a standard definition of condensate; authorize DOE and the Department of the Interior to assess condensate separately from crude oil; and affirm the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2014 decision to treat processed condensate as a petroleum product, which may be exported without a license.
“We are letting Iran export its oil to markets that we prevent our own companies from accessing,” Murkowski said. “Any deal that lifts sanctions on Iranian oil will disadvantage American companies unless we lift the antiquated ban on our own oil exports. The impending deal with Iran is at the center of the nexus between national security and energy policy.”
The release of Murkowski’s report follows another Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee report released in early June, “Rendering Vital Assistance: Allowing Oil Shipments to U.S. Allies,” which laid out the regulatory basis for other nations to request exemptions from U.S. oil export restrictions.
Earlier this year, Murkowski and U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) introduced S. 1312, the Energy Supply and Distribution Act. A key provision in the legislation is authorizing exports of U.S.-produced crude oil and condensate without a federal license, on the same basis as exports of petroleum products are currently authorized. The bill also directs the secretary of energy to improve the understanding of “energy security” across the federal government, drawing also from the president’s national security strategy. Other provisions call for authorization of efforts on shared infrastructure analysis and training related to cross-border energy projects; authorize the Energy Information Administration to share data with Mexico and Canada on cross-border energy flows; direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to create a standard definition of condensate; authorize DOE and the Department of the Interior to assess condensate separately from crude oil; and affirm the U.S. Department of Commerce’s 2014 decision to treat processed condensate as a petroleum product, which may be exported without a license.
