US producers call for the export ban to be lifted
Outdated rules stop US producers from exporting crude oil to most countries - exporters believe a change is overdue
As weak domestic oil prices squeeze their margins, the US’ producers are looking abroad – and hoping Congress at last lifts the four-decade-old ban on crude oil exports.US crude reserves in storage have risen 11.5% in the last year, if the US strategic petroleum reserve is included, while overall production is edging lower, reflecting the inability of the domestic market fully to absorb output generated by the recent shale boom. At present that extra oil cannot be exported as crude to most countries, thanks to legislation introduced in the 1970s at a time when the US was becoming increasingly reliant on imports to meet domestic oil demand and an Arab oil embargo was threatening supply. Expor
Also in this section
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
