The White House Does Not Support a House Bill to Repeal the US Oil Export Ban

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) – The White House stated on Tuesday it doesn’t assist a invoice within the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the 40-year-old ban on exports of crude oil.

“This is a policy decision that is made over at the Commerce Department, and for that reason, we wouldn’t support legislation like the one that’s been put forward by Republicans,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest informed reporters at a briefing.

“The administration believes that the American people are better served by making sure that we pursue the kind of approach that also invests in renewable energy,” he stated.

The full House is anticipated to go the invoice to repeal the ban in coming weeks, after a vote on Thursday within the chamber’s vitality panel.

Energy pursuits say the home drilling increase may quickly choke on a glut of crude if producers are usually not allowed to ship the oil to client nations in Asia and Europe.

An analogous invoice faces a troublesome battle within the Senate, nonetheless. Even if all 54 Republicans within the 100-member Senate voted for the invoice, they would want assist from six Democrats to beat a procedural roadblock.

In July, the Senate vitality panel handed a invoice to raise the ban, however no Democrats voted for it.

The prime Democrat on the panel, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington state, has stated she must know extra about whether or not lifting the ban could be good for shoppers. Cantwell has additionally voiced considerations that repealing the ban may improve the variety of trains carrying oil by way of her state. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, Timothy Gardner and Susan Heavey; Editing by Eric Walsh and Eric Beech)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015.