Skip to main content

One step closer to lifting the crude export ban?

Oilfield Technology,


A hearing held by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy and Power was a promising development for the energy industry and particularly those who are seeking the lift the ban on exporting US crude oil. At the hearing lawmakers made a strong case for eliminating the ban, which was established in 1975 in response to the damaging effects of the Arab Oil Embargo of that era. The US was a limited oil producer at the time that the ban was put in place. However, due to the recent shale revolution, the US is currently the world’s top producer.

During the hearing, Rep. Joe Barton, who introduced a bill to lift the ban earlier in the week, said that the US should capitalise on its status as top producer to bolster the US economy.

Dan Eberhart, CEO, Canary LLC said, “the committee’s decision to start reviewing the implications of lifting the ban in December instead of waiting to address it during the new legislative session in January shows how serious many lawmakers are about lifting the outdated law. The fact is, we’ve taken the crown from Saudi Arabia. The US is a global power in the oil sector. It shows how much shale has changed the global and gas landscape.

“OPEC now must share its influence over oil production and price with the US and Russia. By allowing US producers to start exporting crude oil, lawmakers would further weaken OPEC’s ability to impact prices and introduce a reliable supplier of sought after light, sweet oil to the global market which will leave the US to reap the economic benefits.”

The rapidly dropping oil price, which recently dropped below US$59 /bbl, has left the industry with a high need for US lawmakers to act quickly and Eberhart commented, “the revenue opportunities created by exporting crude oil will help offset expensive horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies so producers will not be forced to cut production. For now, American shale will hold its own, but the oil industry is feeling the impact of the falling prices. Offshore production is going to be hurt first and deeper because it has higher lift costs.” Eberhart has said however that he is optimistic that the momentum evidenced by the House hearing on the export ban will continue building next year.

“At the macro level, the House has been passing legislation but nothing has been happening because of the Senate. I think that situation will be different in 2015 when Republicans have a Senate majority.”


Edited from press release by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/15122014/us-oil-export-shifts/

You might also like

 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):


 

This article has been tagged under the following:

Oil & gas news