[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15892]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       LIFTING THE CRUDE OIL BAN

  (Mr. CARTER of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
702, to lift the outdated ban on U.S. crude oil exports.
  This 40-year-old ban was enacted during the time of oil scarcity in 
the 1970s in an effort to preserve domestic oil reserves and discharge 
foreign imports. Today the ban is driving up the price at the pump 
while discouraging American energy independence.
  The United States is now the largest oil producer in the world, 
producing more barrels per day than Saudi Arabia or Russia, but we 
cannot take full advantage of this strength without the ability to 
export crude oil as the boom in domestic oil production has surpassed 
the ability for our domestic refiners to process crude oil for export.
  The ban on crude oil exports was created in reaction to market 
conditions at the time. These conditions no longer exist. While the 
President is opening up oil markets for Iran with a nuclear agreement, 
U.S. oil producers should have the same access to the global market.
  It is time to lift the ban on crude oil exports. I urge my colleagues 
to support lifting the crude oil ban.

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