Vote to lift oil export ban a blessing on oil companies and curse on climate

Environment Colorado

DENVER, CO — Backed by most of the Colorado’s congressional delegation, the U.S. House voted today to lift the decades-old ban on crude oil exports, a top priority of the oil and gas companies that, if approved, would worsen global warming and heighten the risk of harmful spills.

Rep. Perlmutter broke with his fellow democrats to vote to lift the ban. Otherwise, votes from the Colorado delegation fell along party lines. This week the White House said the president would veto the bill if it cleared the Senate, where its prospects are less certain.

Allowing U.S.-drilled crude oil to be shipped overseas could increase drilling by as much as 3.3 million gallons per day over the next 20 years, increasing global warming pollution by 22 million metric tons per year – the equivalent of five coal plants. Shipping the extra oil produced would also increase the threat of pipeline and oil train accidents.

Kim Stevens, Environment Colorado Director issued the following statement:

“Lifting the oil export ban would be a blessing for the oil companies but a curse for the climate and our health. To avoid more devastating impacts of global warming, including reduced snowpack and pine beetle kill, like we’ve seen here in Colorado, we need to keep fossil fuels in the ground and transition to 100 percent pollution-free energy. We applaud Rep. Degette and Rep. Polis’ vote, and now we’re counting on Senator Bennet and the president to stand up to Big Oil and the dirty energy of the past by voting to keep the ban in place and advance a clean energy future.”
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Environment Colorado is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization dedicated to clean air, clean water, and open space. For more information, please visit www.environmentcolorado.org.