Cantwell, Wyden Request Analysis of How Oil Exports Would Affect U.S. Gas Prices

Press Release

Dear Administrator Sieminski:

As you know, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 prohibits the export of crude oil from the United States (with some exceptions for crude from Alaska and California, and crude destined for Canada). There is now a discussion underway about whether to overturn this ban to allow free export of U.S. oil.

We would like to understand how allowing unlimited export of American crude oil might affect:

U.S. oil production, nationally and regionally;U.S. oil consumption, nationally and regionally;domestic supplies and prices, nationally and regionally, for both:
crude oil (paid by refiners), and refined products (paid by consumers), and
exports of refined products.

Furthermore, we would like EIA to identify the transit modes and routes that exported crude might be expected to travel.

We look forward to EIA's comprehensive analysis of this issue.

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