Lawmakers Praise Lift Of Oil Export Ban

A 40-year-old ban on exporting American oil is dead, and North Dakota lawmakers say they aren’t going to miss it.
 
The provision is part of a year-end federal spending bill signed into law by President Obama Friday.

The export ban had been in place since the 1970s.

Republican Senator John Hoeven says lifting the ban will help grow the U-S economy and keep gas prices down.

Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp praised the bipartisan effort it took to lift the ban.

She says oil exports will specifically help North Dakota.

“That’ll have a huge impact on the marketing of American crude, but also particularly North Dakota crude, because that light sweet crude, it’s difficult to find a refinery in our country that can refine it,” says Sen. Heitkamp.
 
The spending bill also includes money for flood protection efforts in Fargo-Moorhead and Minot.