Environmentalists unsurprisingly called Congress’ deal to lift the ban on exporting crude oil “toxic,” but overall were pleased with what was and was not included in the $1.1 trillion spending bill released early Wednesday.
While the omnibus bill would lift the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports, a tax extenders package includes tax breaks for wind and solar energy. Democrats in Congress also have celebrated the deal for not containing some riders that would have harmed President Obama’s climate change agenda.
The biggest news to come out of the deal is the lifting of the crude oil ban, which Friends of the Earth Climate and Energy Campaigner Lukas Ross called “toxic.”
“This is the wrong choice for clean air and a livable climate,” Ross said.
However, other environmentalists took a more pragmatic approach.
Tiernan Sittenfeld, the senior vice president for government affairs at the League of Conservation Voters, said more than 100 “anti-environmental” riders were being discussed that were eventually eliminated.
She counted the short-term extension of the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the clean energy tax credits as the major wins for the green lobby.
“This package is a real mixed bag,” Sittenfeld said. “It has a major holiday gift for Big Oil, but it also brings some holiday cheer for clean energy and our public lands, while leaving those pushing destructive anti-environmental riders out in the cold.”
Fossil fuel groups contend lifting the oil export ban will reduce the U.S. oil glut by allowing U.S. companies to sell to countries that currently get their oil from Russia and OPEC. It’s their contention that exporting oil eventually will allow American companies to produce more oil and gas because there will be more demand from foreign nations.
Barry Russell, president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, praised the deal as “advancing the energy revolution” in the U.S.
“By passing this legislation and lifting the outdated exports ban, American producers will be able to compete on a level playing field with countries like Iran and Russia, delivering energy security to our friends and allies, advancing the energy revolution that has revitalized our economy, and providing meaningful benefits to families and consumers across the United States,” he said.
Jason Kowalski, policy director at green group 350.org, recognized the repeal of the oil export ban as a major setback for groups who are concerned about climate change.
Kowalski compared the deal to firefighters giving a Christmas present to “the local arsonists.”
However, Kowalski said the momentum built up from the Paris climate talks, the Clean Power Plan, the rejection of Keystone XL and other action on climate change is enough to override the setback.
“It won’t do much to sap this movement’s growing momentum,” he said. “With a Keystone XL win and a global climate agreement under our belts, we’re more fired up than every to take on the fossil fuel industry in the months ahead and make sure that this sort of political cowardice comes with a serious price tag.”
