[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Pages 748-749]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on Exports of Alaskan North Slope Crude Oil

April 28, 1996

Memorandum for the Secretary of Commerce, The Secretary of Energy

Subject: Exports of Alaskan North Slope (ANS) Crude Oil

    Pursuant to section 28(s) of the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended, 30 
U.S.C. 185, I hereby determine that exports of crude oil transported 
over right-of-way granted pursuant to section 203 of the Trans-Alaska 
Pipeline Authorization Act are in the national interest. In making this 
determination, I have taken into account the conclusions of an 
interagency working group, which found that such oil exports:
    --will not diminish the total quantity or quality of petroleum 
      available to the United States; and
    --are not likely to cause sustained material oil supply shortages or 
      sustained oil price increases significantly above world market 
      levels that would cause sustained material adverse employment 
      effects in

[[Page 749]]

      the United States or that would cause substantial harm to 
      consumers, including those located in noncontiguous States and 
      Pacific Territories.
    I have also considered the interagency group's conclusions regarding 
potential environmental impacts of lifting the ban. Based on their 
findings and recommendations, I have concluded that exports of such 
crude oil will not pose significant risks to the environment if certain 
terms and conditions are met.
    Therefore, pursuant to section 28(s) of the Mineral Leasing Act I 
direct the Secretary of Commerce to promulgate immediately a general 
license, or a license exception, authorizing exports of such crude oil, 
subject to appropriate documentation requirements, and consistent with 
the following conditions:
    --tankers exporting ANS exports must use the same route that they do 
      for shipments to Hawaii until they reach a point 300 miles due 
      south of Cape Hinchinbrook Light and then turn toward Asian 
      destinations. After reaching that point, tankers in the ANS oil 
      trade must remain outside of the 200 nautical-miles Exclusive 
      Economic Zone of the United States as defined in the Fisheries 
      Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1811). This condition 
      also applies to tankers returning from foreign ports to Valdez, 
      Alaska. Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the vessel 
      master only to ensure the safety of the vessel;
    --that export tankers be equipped with satellite-based 
      communications systems that will enable the Coast Guard 
      independently to determine their location. The Coast Guard will 
      conduct appropriate monitoring of the tankers, a measure that will 
      ensure compliance with the 200-mile condition, and help the Coast 
      Guard respond quickly to any emergencies;
    --the owner or operator of an Alaskan North Slope crude oil export 
      tankship shall maintain a Critical Area Inspection Plan for each 
      tankship in the trade in accordance with the U.S. Coast Guard's 
      Navigation and Inspection Circular No. 15-91 as amended, which 
      shall include an annual internal survey of the vessel's cargo 
      block tanks; and
    --the owner or operator of an Alaskan North Slope crude oil export 
      tankship shall adopt a mandatory program of deep water ballast 
      exchange (i.e., in 2,000 meters water depth). Exceptions can be 
      made at the discretion of the captain only in order to ensure the 
      safety of the vessel. Recordkeeping subject to Coast Guard audit 
      will be required as part of this regime.
    The Secretary of Commerce is authorized and directed to inform the 
appropriate committees of the Congress of this determination and to 
publish it in the Federal Register.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 1, 1996]

Note: This memorandum was made available by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on April 28 but was not issued as a White House press release. 
It was published in the Federal Register on May 2.