[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1372

      To repeal the crude oil export ban, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 19, 2015

Ms. Heitkamp (for herself, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Manchin, and Mr. Corker) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
            Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To repeal the crude oil export ban, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Crude Oil Export Equality 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States has enjoyed a renaissance in energy 
        production--
                    (A) increasing domestic investment and jobs; and
                    (B) establishing the United States as a world 
                leader in crude oil production;
            (2) the United States upholds a commitment to free trade 
        and open markets and has consistently opposed attempts by other 
        nations to restrict the free flow of energy;
            (3) independent studies have concluded that allowing the 
        export of domestically produced crude oil--
                    (A) will increase the globally available supply of 
                crude oil; and
                    (B) will tend to reduce domestic prices for 
                gasoline and other refined petroleum products in the 
                United States;
            (4) gasoline and other refined petroleum products are 
        already eligible for export from the United States without 
        restriction;
            (5) gasoline prices in the United States reflect the price 
        paid on the global market for crude oil and not a separate 
        crude oil price in the United States;
            (6) exports of crude oil produced in the United States 
        would provide an alternative stable supplier for crude oil to 
        allies of the United States around the world--
                    (A) allowing United States crude oil exports to 
                compete on equal footing with other international 
                crudes;
                    (B) allowing United States crude oil exports to 
                compete with and potentially displace crude oil exports 
                from Iran, as potential easing of sanctions could lead 
                to Iran regaining market share;
                    (C) facilitating assistance to the countries of 
                Europe and Eurasia to diversify their energy sources 
                and achieve energy security by providing another option 
                to protect against possible unstable supply flows; and
                    (D) allowing the United States to use national 
                energy policy to further United States interests 
                abroad; and
            (7) the United States should remove all restrictions on the 
        export of domestically produced crude oil or crude oil of any 
        origin, which will increase economic benefits, enhance energy 
        security, improve the trade deficit, and promote key national 
        security interests of the United States domestically and around 
        the world.

SEC. 3. CRUDE OIL EXPORTS.

    (a) Repeal of Presidential Authority To Restrict Oil Exports.--
            (1) In general.--Section 103 of the Energy Policy and 
        Conservation Act (42 U.S.C. 6212) is repealed.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) The table of contents for the Energy Policy and 
                Conservation Act is amended by striking the item 
                relating to section 103.
                    (B) The Energy Policy and Conservation Act is 
                amended--
                            (i) in section 251 (42 U.S.C. 6271)--
                                    (I) by striking subsection (d); and
                                    (II) by redesignating subsection 
                                (e) as subsection (d); and
                            (ii) in section 523(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 
                        6393(a)(1)), by striking ``(other than section 
                        103 thereof)''.
                    (C) Section 12 of the Alaska Natural Gas 
                Transportation Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 719j) is 
                amended--
                            (i) by striking ``and section 103 of the 
                        Energy Policy and Conservation Act''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``such Acts'' and 
                        inserting ``that Act''.
    (b) Repeal of Limitations on Exports of Oil.--
            (1) In general.--Section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
        U.S.C. 185) is amended--
                    (A) by striking subsection (u); and
                    (B) by redesignating subsections (v) through (y) as 
                subsections (u) through (x), respectively.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--
                    (A) Section 1107(c) of the Alaska National Interest 
                Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3167(c)) is amended 
                by striking ``(u) through (y)'' and inserting ``(u) 
                through (x)''.
                    (B) The Deepwater Port Act of 1974 is amended--
                            (i) in section 3(9)(A) (33 U.S.C. 
                        1502(9)(A)), by striking ``except as otherwise 
                        provided in section 23,''; and
                            (ii) by striking section 23 (33 U.S.C. 
                        1522).
                    (C) Section 203(c) of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline 
                Authorization Act (43 U.S.C. 1652(c)) is amended in the 
                first sentence by striking ``(w)(2), and (x))'' and 
                inserting ``(v)(2), and (w))''.
                    (D) Section 509(c) of the Public Utility Regulatory 
                Policies Act of 1978 (43 U.S.C. 2009(c)) is amended by 
                striking ``subsection (w)(2)'' and inserting 
                ``subsection (v)(2)''.
    (c) Repeal of Limitations on Export of OCS Oil or Gas.--Section 28 
of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1354) is repealed.
    (d) Termination of Limitation on Exportation of Crude Oil.--Section 
7(d) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2406(d)) 
(as continued in effect pursuant to the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)) shall have no force or 
effect.
    (e) Clarification of Crude Oil Regulation.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        section 754.2 of title 15, Code of Federal Regulations 
        (relating to crude oil) shall have no force or effect.
            (2) Limitation.--With respect to the export of crude oil 
        from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the regulation referred 
        to in paragraph (1) (as in effect on the date that is 1 day 
        before the date of enactment of this Act) shall continue in 
        full force and effect.
            (3) Crude oil license requirements.--A license to export to 
        a country crude oil (as the term is defined in subsection (a) 
        of the regulation referred to in paragraph (1)) (as in effect 
        on the date that is 1 day before the date of enactment of this 
        Act), shall be required from the Bureau of Industry and 
        Security of the Department of Commerce, after consultation with 
        other relevant agencies, only if--
                    (A) the country is subject to sanctions or trade 
                restrictions imposed by the United States;
                    (B) the President or Congress has designated the 
                country as subject to exclusion for reasons of national 
                security; or
                    (C) the export concerns the withdrawal of crude oil 
                from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
    (f) Effect.--Except as provided in section 4, any provision of law 
or regulation that curtails, limits, delays, or otherwise restricts the 
export of crude oil shall have no force or effect.

SEC. 4. EXCEPTIONS AND PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY.

    (a) In General.--The President may impose export licensing 
requirements or other restrictions on the export of crude oil from the 
United States for a period of not more than 1 year, if--
            (1) the President declares a national emergency and 
        formally notices the declaration of a national emergency in the 
        Federal Register;
            (2) the export licensing requirements or other restrictions 
        on the export of crude oil from the United States under this 
        section apply to 1 or more countries, persons, or organizations 
        in the context of sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by 
        the United States for reasons of national security by the 
        Executive authority of the President or by Congress; or
            (3) the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Energy, finds and reports to the President that--
                    (A) the export of crude oil pursuant to this Act 
                has caused sustained material oil supply shortages or 
                sustained oil prices significantly above world market 
                levels that are directly attributable to the export of 
                crude oil produced in the United States; and
                    (B) those supply shortages or price increases have 
                caused or are likely to cause sustained material 
                adverse employment effects in the United States.
    (b) Renewal.--Any requirement or restriction imposed pursuant to 
paragraph (1) may be renewed for 1 or more additional periods of not 
more than 1 year each.

SEC. 5. GAO REVIEW AND REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter for 2 years, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall conduct a review of--
            (1) energy production in the United States; and
            (2) the effects, if any, of crude oil exports from the 
        United States on consumers, independent refiners, and 
        shipbuilding and ship repair yards.
    (b) Contents of Report.--Not later than 1 year after commencing 
each review under subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall submit to the Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committees 
on Natural Resources, Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, and 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report that 
includes--
            (1) a statement of the principal findings of the review; 
        and
            (2) recommendations for Congress and the President to 
        address any job loss in the shipbuilding and ship repair 
        industry or adverse impacts on consumers and refiners that the 
        Comptroller General of the United States attributes to 
        unencumbered crude oil exports in the United States.
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