[thackney]

The ban was meant to control a strategic commodity.

The ban was part of the nonsense of price controls and other government overreach.

It is why we have the SPR.

The SPR is a governmental function, national security. The export ban pushes investment and jobs overseas.

The real question is how economically viable it will be given the current glut of oil.

The confusion in that statement is regarding all oil as the same. The Gulf Coast has an abundance of expensive light sweet and many refineries optimized for cheaper heavy sour. Exporting the surplus expensive oil and importing the cheaper oil makes a lot of sense, lower US prices, higher US profits and more US jobs.

[kabar]

Look, the bottom line is that the 2009 page Omnibus Bill released in the middle of the night is a huge sellout of the American worker and conservative fiscal principles. The Dems got all they wanted and more and Ryan and the GOPe consider the removal of the oil export ban to be a major victory. It is actually a sellout to special interests. I have no doubt that the oil industry played a major role in writing that part of the legislation. Follow the money.

Exporting the surplus expensive oil and importing the cheaper oil makes a lot of sense, lower US prices, higher US profits and more US jobs.

More crapola meant to defend the indefensible. The Reps helped Clinton pass NAFTA using the same kinds of language. How did that turn out?