WASHINGTON (December 12, 2013) -- Today Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, reacted to a Wall Street Journal report that ExxonMobil has joined other major oil companies such as Shell and ConocoPhillips and the industry’s lobbying association, the American Petroleum Institute, in calling for a change to U.S. law that would lift the restrictions on exporting domestically-produced crude oil.

 

“The growing chorus from the oil industry to change longstanding U.S. law to permit the export of American crude oil is a disturbing trend. There can be no doubt that this is now a coordinated attack by the oil industry on the U.S. law that bars exports of crude oil from the United States,” said Senator Markey. “This oil should be kept here in America, to benefit our consumers and to reduce our dependence on imports from the Middle East.”

 

“Clearly Big Oil’s push for increased domestic drilling has nothing to do with increasing our nation’s energy security, or else the industry wouldn’t be seeking to export U.S. crude oil abroad,” continued Markey. “Oil companies have already sent nearly a billion barrels of our refined fuels overseas last year. They shouldn’t be allowed to also export American crude oil. ExxonMobil and others in oil industry should end their efforts to undermine this U.S. law that is critical to national security.”

 

Earlier this month, following reports that API intends to highlight potential violations of U.S. crude export restrictions in the World Trade Organization, Sen. Markey sent a letter to the U.S. Trade Representative urging him to vigorously defend this U.S. law against any challenges in the WTO, available here.