Sep 14, 2015

10 reasons to support the crude oil export ban

Sign our petition urging congress not to lift the Crude Oil Export Ban.

Gasoline prices will go up for Americans if the export ban is lifted.
Lifting the crude oil export ban will raise crude prices to the global level, as a recent study found U.S. gasoline has been substantially discounted because of domestic crude oil being kept in America.

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*http://crudecoalition.org/further-proof-exports-will-raise-prices-on-americans/
Oil prices are significantly controlled by an international cartel called Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
OPEC has used crude as an economic weapon. They started the oil embargo causing lines at gas stations in the 1970’s and when OPEC chose to maintain production levels of crude oil, prices fell by 60%. Lifting the crude oil export ban will put OPEC in the driver’s seat for U.S. oil security.

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*http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/data_graphs/330.htm
The oil export ban is fostering U.S. investment in domestic manufacturing.
Recent articles highlight that the U.S. chemical industry is investing $15 billion in new manufacturing facilities. Lifting the crude oil export ban threatens those jobs as companies search for low cost labor and environmental standards.

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*http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-30/how-cheap-oil-is-fueling-a-surge-in-new-factories
U.S. refinery jobs will be in jeopardy if the export ban is lifted.
Refinery jobs with good union benefits would be sent overseas as crude oil goes to China and other countries where refineries don’t have the same pollution controls ours do.

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*http://www.usw.org/members/forms/crude-oil-export-ban
The U.S. will be more reliant of foreign crude oil.
The U.S. is still not self-sufficient in oil production. Every barrel of oil we send overseas will mean another barrel of oil being brought in from overseas.

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*https://alliedprogress.org/research/fact-sheet-we-cant-afford-to-repeal-the-crude-oil-export-ban/
The fatality and injury rate in the US oil and gas industry is already unacceptably high – lifting the export ban will put more workers at risk unless safety regulations are improved.
Between 2003 and 2013 almost 1,200 workers were killed on the job. Data is limited but during the past five years reported fatality rates in oil and gas extraction are five to seven times the national fatality rate.

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*http://www.aflcio.org/Issues/Job-Safety/Death-on-the-Job-Report
Lifting the crude oil export ban will increase carbon pollution and have an effect on climate change.
Lifting the ban will result in more than 515 million metric tons of carbon pollution per year. That is the equivalent annual emissions of 108 million passenger cars.

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*https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/news/2015/08/21/119756/the-environmental-impacts-of-exporting-more-american-crude-oil/
The companies that stand to benefit the most from lifting the crude oil export ban are large integrated oil companies who are already the most profitable in the world.
Should we really give a break to companies whose total revenue in 2014 was $421.1 billion (Shell), $192.3 billion (Chevron) and $369.4 billion (Exxon)?

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*http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/04/22/10-most-profitable-companies-in-oil.aspx
The oil and gas extraction industry often buys cheap foreign made steel.
When oil prices where highest the U.S. steel industry had to file a trade case on the steel pipe that goes into fracking wells because of dumped illegal imports.

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*http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/22/us-usa-trade-steel-idUSKBN0GM1HD20140822
Lifting the crude oil export ban will put another 4,500 railcars per day on our already congested freight rail system.
Farmers and manufacturers who rely on our national freight rail network will be left in the cold. For example, rail congestion cost North Dakota farmers more than $160 million last year.

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*http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/us-usa-farms-railroads-analysis-idUSBREA4D0QE20140514