Rep. Huffman, 12 Members of Congress Urge Obama to Limit Environmental Impacts of Lifting the Crude Oil Export Ban

February 12, 2016

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) led a letter to President Obama, signed by 12 other members of Congress, urging him to take several specific actions to minimize the carbon pollution emissions and public risks from extraction, transportation, and international consumption of crude oil and other dirty fossil fuels. This letter counters Congressional Republicans’ insistence on repealing the decades-long restriction on crude oil exports in last year’s Consolidated Appropriations Act, and offers a plan to contain the harmful environmental impacts of that repeal.

“Far from having a negligible impact on emissions, the ability to export crude oil on the international market could trigger a race to the bottom that continues our addiction to dirty fossil fuels,” Huffman and his colleagues wrote. “Given the risk of harmful environmental impacts, we respectfully recommend that you direct federal agencies to take all available actions to protect against these undesired implications.”

The letters asks that President Obama take the following actions:

  • Halt new offshore leases that would endanger fragile ocean ecosystems and the global environment, starting with the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans.
  • Finalize new fuel efficiency and carbon pollution standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles at the maximum feasible level.
  • Strengthen requirements for trains transporting crude oil by train to ensure they are as protective as possible.
  • Address emissions from increased maritime traffic
  • Restrict methane emissions by fully implementing the proposed rule for all domestic oil and natural gas production.
  • Work with international trade partners to utilize all aspects of the Clean Air Act to ensure that the U.S. is not exporting to countries that are not meeting environmental compliance standards.

The signatories on the letter along with Congressman Huffman are Representatives Chris Van Hollen (MD-08), Lois Capps (CA-24), Adam Schiff (CA-28), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Luis Gutiérrez (IL-04), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), Alan Grayson (FL-08), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Michael Honda (CA-17), and Doris Matsui (CA-06).

A copy of the letter may be found below:

 

Dear President Obama:

We write to share our concerns regarding the Consolidated Appropriations Act’s repeal of the longstanding restriction on the export of crude oil. This provision was included in the Omnibus because Congressional Republicans demanded it, despite opposition from most Democrats. We urge you to use all available executive actions to ensure that the harmful environmental impacts of the repeal of the export ban are contained, that public lands and waters are not harmed by an unchecked rush to expand energy production, and that unrestrained crude oil exports do not undermine ongoing progress on tackling greenhouse gas emissions in the wake of the landmark Paris climate agreement.

We are concerned that over the long term, the lifting of the crude oil export ban could drastically increase domestic production from current baseline levels. The American Petroleum Institute (API), the leading advocate of repealing the ban, forecasts increased domestic production by 500,000 barrels per day by 2020 and 1.2 million barrels per day by 2030. While some argue that this production increase will be offset in terms of emissions by reductions in production elsewhere, OPEC nations have already responded to booming U.S. production by ramping up production in order to protect their market share. Far from having a negligible impact on emissions, the ability to export crude oil on the international market could trigger a race to the bottom that continues our addiction to dirty fossil fuels.

Given the risk of harmful environmental impacts, we respectfully recommend that you direct federal agencies to take all available actions to protect against these undesired implications. At a minimum, we believe these actions should include:

  • Ensuring that federally owned lands and waters—the common inheritance of all Americans—are utilized to advance our climate and clean energy goals, not harmed by expanded domestic fossil fuel production. Specifically, we strongly urge you to halt new offshore leases that would endanger fragile ocean ecosystems and the global environment, starting with taking the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans off the table to drilling during ongoing considerations of the next five year plan. We also recommend that the Interior Department and U.S. Forest Service take a hard look at approving new fossil fuel leases and permits on or around sensitive public lands, such as Teshekpuk Lake and Colville River in the Arctic, Desolation Canyon and Alton Mine in Utah, Chaco Canyon and roadless areas in the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico, Badger-Two Medicine area in Montana, and Thompson Divide in the White River National Forest in Colorado. It is time to align our nation’s energy supply commitments, including management of our federal lands and oceans, with a future powered by clean energy, not more fossil fuels that are driving climate change. As part of this commitment to protecting our public lands, we urge you to continue your ongoing work for full and permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  • Finalizing new fuel efficiency and carbon pollution standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles at the maximum feasible level. We should build on your administration’s record of success of strong fuel efficiency so that we continue to reduce our demand for oil.
  • Addressing emissions from increased maritime traffic associated with an expansion of crude oil exports. As you know, the recent COP talks left unchallenged the environmental impact of international maritime emissions. Existing authority to establish and enforce Emission Control Areas should be expanded to require the highest standards for maritime traffic in U.S. waters. We also urge you to work internationally to apply these standards to all maritime traffic.
  • Minimizing the risks to communities posed by shipping crude oil by train. As shipments of volatile crude oil by rail have surged in recent years, so has the number of oil train derailments and accidents. The Department of Transportation should strengthen requirements regarding transport of crude oil by train to ensure they are as protective as possible, including strong volatility standards for crude oil and protective speed limits for oil trains traveling through population centers and near sensitive environments
  • Fully implementing the proposed rule for methane emission regulations for all domestic oil and natural gas production. The EPA should strengthen and finalized its proposed rule on methane pollution from new sources in the oil and gas sector, and additionally propose a rule to limit methane pollution from existing sources in the same sector. Similarly, BLM should fully implement its proposed rule to regulate methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas activities on public lands in the year ahead. 
  • Working with our international trade partners, utilize all aspects of the Clean Air Act and other statutory authorities to ensure that we are not simply exporting pollution to countries whose refineries do not meet the highest standards of environmental compliance. Federal agencies should work with any countries receiving exported crude oil to ensure that they apply the most stringent refinery regulations possible.

We strongly support your administration’s continued work to promote clean energy and control carbon pollution, including your continued support for comprehensive international targets on emissions reductions. We know that the promotion of clean, renewable energy both here and abroad will benefit both our environment and the U.S. economy. We also know that expanded domestic oil production undermines our climate and clean energy goals.  Therefore, we strongly urge you to do all you can to ensure repealing the crude oil export ban neither deepens the negative impact of global greenhouse gas emissions, nor increases degradation of our public lands and oceans. We look forward to working with you to continue protecting America's robust natural heritage and valued environment.

Sincerely,

Jared Huffman, et al.

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